Whale sharks, locally called “butanding,” should be reclassified from vulnerable to endangered, according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). The DENR will propose the inclusion of the butanding (Rhyncodon typus) and three other migratory species for protection under the international convention of the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) of Wild Animals. Appendix I lists migratory species in danger of extinction, while Appendix II refers to “vulnerable” migratory species, or those with “unfavorable conservation status,” to be conserved through international agreements. Last year, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the world’s largest network of government and civil society organizations, declared the whale shark endangered. According to researchers, the number of whale sharks, the world’s largest fish, has halved in the past 75 years.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer October 22, 2017 23:15 UTC