The day before yesterday was a special day for two species facing the threat of extinction: Asian elephants and white ocean sharks in the oceans.

As the numbers of Asian elephants decreased for tens of years, due to human hunting for them, they were led to slaughter in order to obtain the ivory represented by their fangs. Ocean Care says sharks are being killed for their fins, which are used as a component of a popular soup dish in parts of Asia. The price per kilogram of these fins may reach 80 euros (87 dollars).

The 13th conference, held in the city of Jandhinagar, India, gave the signatories of the United Nations Treaty on the Conservation of Migratory Species, the highest level of protection for both species.

The 130 signatory states must now issue a ban on the killing of these two species, and other animals, on the list of species at risk of extinction.

Ralph Zontag, of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, expressed his happiness at the decision, but he warned that even with this protection situation, the survival of these elephants and sharks is still not guaranteed.

It is noteworthy that animals and plants are facing extinction at a faster rate than ever before, and a United Nations report in 2019 stated that there are a million species threatened with extinction, and that humans bear the responsibility for that to a large extent.

A new analysis of the signatories to the United Nations treaty showed that 73% of the animal species that are granted the highest level of protection still face a continuous decrease in their numbers.

Birds and sharks are particularly threatened, and there is one species on the list of "signatories to the United Nations Treaty on the Conservation of Migratory Species", which is "Chinese swordfish," which resembles sharks, is now considered extinct.

For most protected sharks, less than a third of the signatories to the treaty only fully implement protection mechanisms, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

On the other hand, Arnulf Konkeh, an expert on the "World Wide Fund for Nature Conservation" says: "Economic interests usually take precedence in the big fishing nation."

A number of countries do not participate in such agreements. The signatories to the United Nations treaty include almost all of Europe and South America, and most of Africa, but they are free of the United States, China, Russia and Japan.

Sometimes the animals are included in the list very late, that is, when their numbers have already decreased, and their habitats have declined, due to political resistance.

This is especially true of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which prohibits international trade in certain species, Zontag said.

Habitat loss is the main threat for most animal and plant species, according to the Global Fund for Nature Conservation, followed by climate change and illegal trade.

Zontag explains that for most threatened species, there is no safeguard whatsoever on the part of "the signatories of the United Nations Treaty on the Conservation of Migratory Species" or the "International Trade Agreement on Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora". Also, many species can disappear in tropical rainforests, or in the deep sea, for example, before humans know them.

In the long run, the increasing frequency of species will have their effects on humans. If there are fewer insects pollinating plants, the fruit crops will decline. The continued pollution of the oceans will also affect the livelihoods of the fishermen.

Representatives at the conference in India also discussed taking measures to reduce the impact of human activities on migratory animals.

It is possible to facilitate the crossing of animals through land roads, by erecting fences in a way that enables them to sneak through them, or by building extensive bridges that help animals cross over roads and railways.

Shark fin soup is a popular dish in parts of Asia.

Asian elephants are driven to slaughter to obtain ivory from their tusks.