HSI

Scarlet macaw, illegal pet trade refugee.

Illegal trade in wildlife is estimated at billions of dollars every year. This global trade includes live plants and animals, as well as products made from them such as food, souvenirs, furniture, fashion and medicine. Given the large appetite of the international marketplace, an increasing number of plant and animal populations are threatened by this nefarious activity.

In order to ensure that international trade in wild animals and plants did not wipe them out, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) entered into force in 1975. Today, CITES is an international agreement signed by 172 governments and covering more than 30,000 species—for example, elephants, iguanas, orchids and even ginseng.

Building Cooperation

HSI

Hawksbill Tortoiseshell jewelry in the DR.

Central America is one of the most biologically diverse regions in the world and is home to many species that are sought after by traders. While all Central American countries are members of CITES, issues such as lack of transparency and awareness remain challenges to effective implementation of the Convention in the region. In February 2008, HSI worked to address some of these challenges by holding a regional conference to support communication among stakeholders, including the Authorities in charge of CITES (both Scientific and Management), governments and NGOs; and to review ways to more effectively implement the Convention to protect the region’s rich biodiversity.

During this three-day conference, HSI brought together 40 representatives from Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua to address these communication issues, as well as a range of topics focused on strengthening the role of science in CITES implementation.

Building Scientific Capacity

As the basis of the Convention, science plays a role in almost every aspect of CITES—from determining which species to include, to evaluating whether trade is harming a species, to helping officials on the border to identify species and illegal trade. During the conference, Marcos Silva from the CITES Secretariat in Geneva instructed participants on the scientific aspects of the Convention and the roles of the Scientific Authorities. 

HSI

Marcos Silva is asked a question by a conference participant.

Additionally, HSI gave a presentation on ways for local non-governmental organizations to support Scientific Authorities in the implementation of the Convention. Participants discussed concrete actions each country should take in order to help strengthen the power of Scientific Authorities to make decisions related to the Convention, including building stronger networks and working groups, taking legislative action and increasing resources.

Participants left the conference with favorable impressions, with comments including, "I learned a lot about the role of NGOs in CITES implementation" and "It [the conference] cleared up a lot of confusion about some of the details of the Articles of CITES that are often ignored." It is hoped that the outcomes of the workshop will serve as the stepping stones to help improve protection of the region’s precious wildlife.

This conference was part of HSI’s ongoing CITES programs in the region and was built on HSI’s previous regional and national conferences implemented to help support the Environmental Chapter of the U.S.—Dominican Republic—Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA). The conference was supported by funds from the U.S. Department of State.