Nov. 29, 2005 — More than 20 species of endangered birds, bats, sharks, deer and dolphin were on Friday granted new protected status under an international conservation treaty, officials said.

Signatories to the Convention on Migratory Species meeting in Kenya agreed to boost safeguards for 21 types of what they described as "curious and charismatic" animals at risk from human and other threats, they said.

Tyrant birds, African fruit bats, warblers, thrushes, basking sharks, short-beaked dolphins, gorillas and Central Asian deer were among those added to lists of species threatened with imminent extinction or in need of enhanced protection.

The decisions were announced at the end of a week-long conference of the 93 parties to the Convention on Migratory Species at the Nairobi headquarters of the U.N. Environment Program.

Of the 21 additions, 11 were added to Appendix I of the Convention on Migratory Species, which mandates that parties to the convention must ensure the protection of these species and conserve their natural habitat.

The 10 others were added to Appendix II of the convention, which lists "migratory species that need or would significantly benefit from international cooperation."

These "threatened species throughout the world all gain from the scientific and practical support we can now offer, especially in developing countries," said Robert Hepworth, executive secretary of the Convention on Migratory Species.

The Basra reed warbler was among 11 species added to Appendix I of the convention as its natural habitat — the Mesopotamian marshlands in Iraq — was seriously damaged during the regime of deposed leader Saddam Hussein.

Found only on the Pitcairn Islands, the Henderson's petrel was also listed on Appendix I because of constant predation by rats and crabs. The bird has an extremely low fertility rate, at 20 percent, making conservation attempts even more difficult.

Among those added to the Appendix II was the strange-tailed tyrant, a South American species of bird whose population has significantly declined in Brazil due to extensive damage to its natural habitat.

Central Asia's Bukhara deer was added to both appendices as poaching and pesticide contamination from cotton fields threaten their numbers, up to nearly 900 from a mere 350 a decade ago, they said.

The world's second largest shark, the basking shark, was also added to both listings because climate change affects the production of plankton, one of the creature's primary food sources, they added.

As the conference wrapped up, Britain's environment department pledged $170,000 (145,000 euros) to organize and fund a conference to address the plight of migrating birds of prey, officials said.

All of the 211 types of birds of prey, 60 of which are migratory, have already been listed to Appendix I or II of the Convention on Migratory Species.

Nearly 60 percent of predatory birds and owls are threatened with extinction as a result of poisoning, illegal trade or loss of habitat, the U.N. Environment Program said.

Britain's biodiversity minister Jim Knight noted that predatory birds are often "sentinels for environmental change" because of their vulnerability to pollution and climate change.

"We should respect them and conserve them for this, too," he said.

Earlier in the week, delegates to the conference created a global early warning system for bird flu, signed an agreement to protect West African elephants and urged new measures to protect dolphins and other sea mammals.