November 26, 2022, 02:17 PM
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The Straw-headed Bulbul and White-rumped Shama will receive an "upgraded" status on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) list.
Both songbird species face varied but significant threat from wildlife trading.
Proposals to uplist these songbirds were accepted at the 19th meeting of the Conference of Parties to the convention on Nov. 22.
The Straw-headed Bulbul will be listed as an Appendix I species, while the White-rumped Shama will be listed as an Appendix II species.
CITES, which entered into force in 1975, is an international treaty to cooperate on wildlife trade regulation and protect species against the threat of extinction.
Commercial trade of Straw-headed bulbul will be banned soon
Singapore, together with Malaysia and the U.S., submitted the proposal to uplist the Straw-headed Bulbul as an Appendix I species to bar its international commercial trade.
Image via NParks.
Species listed under Appendix I on the CITES list are threatened with extinction, and international trade of these species is prohibited except when the purpose of import is non-commerical, such as for scientific research.
The amendment will take effect for the Straw-headed Bulbul 12 months after the meeting, pending endorsement at the Plenary.
Less than 1,700 mature individuals left in the world
The Straw-headed Bulbul, listed as "critically endangered" on the IUCN Red List, is facing extinction due to its popularity in the songbird trade.
According to IUCN, the bird was common throughout its range across Southeast Asia up until the 1950s.
Today, the species is considered to be extinct in Thailand, and likely Myanmar and Indonesia as well. It is also notably absent from national parks in Malaysia where it was previously common. A population still exists in Brunei though its numbers are unknown.
There are so few Straw-headed bulbuls that wildlife researcher Serene Chng heard from a collaborator from Kalimantan, Indonesia that it's harder to find a Straw-headed bulbul there than an Orangutan.
Less than 1,700 mature individuals are estimated to remain in the world, NParks said.
Singapore remains a stronghold for the species, supporting one-third of its global population.
More than 60 Straw-headed bulbuls were confiscated due to illegal trade from 2006 to 2021, despite its rarity due to low numbers both in the wild and in wildlife trade.
White-rumped Shama gets uplisted too
Separately, Singapore and Malaysia submitted the proposal to uplist the White-rumped Shama as an Appendix II species to regulate and monitor its trade.
Image via NParks.
Species listed under Appendix II are not necessarily threatened now but may face the threat of extinction unless trade is controlled.
Export of Appendix II listed species may be authorised by the granting of an export permit or a re-export certificate. No import permit is necessary.
The White-rumped Shama is native to 15 countries across Asia, including Singapore.
Though it is a species of "least concern", most of its 19 subspecies have a small population with limited range, making it vulnerable to overexploitation and extinction.
More than 32,000 individuals have been seized from illegal trade since 2009.
The amendment will take effect for the White-rumped Shama on Feb. 23, 2023, pending endorsement at the Plenary.
Speaking on the uplisting, Minister for National Development Desmond Lee said that the proposals reflect Singapore's efforts to work with regional and international partners to "tackle the global issue of illegal wildlife trade, as a Party to CITES".
"It is encouraging that both our proposals have been adopted, and Singapore will continue to press on with our important work in combatting illegal wildlife trade", Lee added.
Top image by NParks and D. Bergin via Traffic
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