New Delhi, Feb 8 (IANS): The Centre on Friday announced that the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) will be its mascot for the 13th Conference of Parties (COP) of the UN Convention on the conservation of migratory species (CMS) to be held in Gujarat next year.

Launching the logo and the mascot along with a website for the international event, Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan said that hosting the 13th COP would give India an opportunity to showcase its conservation initiatives for wildlife species.

"It will provide a global platform for deliberations on the conservation and sustainable use of migratory wild animals and their habitat," Vardhan said.

The CMS COP-13 would also bring together the states through which migratory animals pass.

Representatives from 129 countries and eminent conservationists and international NGOs working in the field of wildlife conservation are expected to attend the COP-13, to be held in Gandhinagar from February 15-22, 2020.

India is temporary home to several migratory birds and animals. These include Amur falcons, Bar-headed geese, Black-necked cranes, Marine turtles, Dugongs, Humpbacked whales etc.

The Indian sub-continent is also part of the major bird flyway network, i.e, the Central Asian Flyway (CAF), which covers areas between the Arctic Ocean and the Indian Ocean, and covers at least 279 populations of 182 migratory waterbird species, including 29 globally threatened species.