Why in news?

India, at 19th Meeting of the Conference of Parties at Panama City, presented a proposal for uplifting Batagur Kachuga from Appendix II to Appendix I of the CITES.

Highlights

• According to the delegation at CoP19, the population of Batagur has declined by at least 80% in the past 50 years and is an ongoing decline.
• To protect the animal, it is enlisted in Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, their hunting and trade are illegal in India.
• India asserted that it qualifies for listing in CITES Appendix I and added that the listing will ensure –

i) legal international trade of the species does not take for commercial purposes

ii) international trade in captive bred only takes place from registered facilities

iii) higher and more proportionate penalties are provided for the illegal trade

The red-crowned roofed turtle or Bengal roof turtle (Batagur kachuga)

• It is a species of freshwater turtle endemic to South Asia.
• Type species of its former genus Kachuga
• IUCN Status : Critically endangered
• Geographic range: Nepal, India (Himachal Pradesh), Bangladesh, (primarily in the watershed of the Ganges River)

National Chambal Sanctuary portion of the Chambal River (India’s only protected riverine habitat)