SANTIAGO—The Species Survival Network (SSN), a global coalition of 65 environmental, conservation and animal protection organizations, today congratulated the Delegates to the 12th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) for its strong commitment to the protection of a wide variety of critically endangered flora and fauna.
“The beautiful city of Santiago, full of compassionate citizens, provided the perfect venue for CITES Parties to undertake their important work over the past two weeks,” said Will Travers, President of the Species Survival Network and CEO of the Born Free Foundation. “We thank the organizers for making this a memorable meeting, which shall go down in history as one of the most successful events for wildlife conservation.
In an unprecedented move, CITES has approved protection for a commercially traded timber species, bigleaf mahogany. “The decision by CITES to protect bigleaf mahogany is a critical step in ending rampant and illegal logging, and making global mahogany markets truly sustainable,” said Carroll Muffett of Defenders of Wildlife and member of the SSN Board. “This is a first step. Now exporting countries must find the will to change their forest management practices and importers, particularly the U.S. and the EU, must provide the financial and technical assistance to make those changes possible.”
Commercial fish species also received vital protection from the CITES Parties. Export permits will now be required for any international trade in whale sharks and basking sharks. The unregulated trade in shark meat, oil, and fins, could doom the species without action by CITES Parties. “The role that CITES should play in shark conservation and sustainable management was first considered in 1994. We are relieved that this role has finally been formalized for two of the most threatened species of shark and the world´s two largest fish,” said Nicola Beynon, Chair of SSN's Marine Fish Working Group and spokesperson for Humane Society International. “Now, all CITES Parties must recognize the overwhelming support for listing these species and fully enforce the Convention with respect to these two sharks species.”
For the first time as well, CITES has recognized the importance of protecting bottlenose dolphins, traded for the captive display industry. Black Sea bottlenose dolphins can no longer be traded for primarily commercial purposes. “This was a remarkable and very welcome milestone decision for these dolphins,” said Mark Simmonds of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS). “Finally, CITES has concluded that this population deserves protection from removals for the trade in live animals and has enacted a significant measure to ensure this. This is the first trade ban for a dolphin population targeted for captivity – a very significant development and a great success.”
Seahorses, traded in the tens of millions annually for the curio, medicine, and aquaria trade, also now benefit from CITES protection. “This proposal, introduced by the United States, gives great hope in the global effort to prevent the long-term devastation of this species. In some regions, commercial catches of seahorses have declined by 95%, indicating that the species may soon become commercially extinct. Biological extinction in these areas may soon follow,” said Will Travers, President of the Species Survival Network and Chairman of the Born Free Foundation.
CITES Parties stood strong against the repeated attempts by Japan to reopen the commercial trade in minke whales and Brydes whales. “I don’t know how many times the Japanese delegation to CITES will be rebuffed in their misguided attempt to slaughter whales for commercial gain, but CITES has spoken on the issue without equivocation: no commercial whaling, no commercial trade in whales,” said Adam Roberts, Senior Research Associate of the Animal Welfare Institute and member of the SSN Board. “The International Whaling Commission is the competent body to address commercial whaling and CITES Parties are absolutely right to stand firm against Japan’s endless machinations to massacre whales for profit.”
SSN was pleased that before this CITES meeting even began Cuba had wisely withdrawn its proposal to start trading in the highly endangered hawksbill sea turtle. Green turtles also maintained their full CITES protection when the delegates refused to allow trade from a highly controversial green turtle farm in the Cayman Islands. “The United Kingdom, which proposed opening this deadly trade, wisely decided to forego further discussion on the proposal here in Santiago after it was defeated during an earlier Committee vote,” noted Mr. Travers “Serious questions concerning the legality of the founder turtle stock in the farm must be answered before any discussion of green sea turtle trade should commence.”
Dr. Rob Atkinson, Head of the Wildlife Department of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, added “In my opinion, the Cayman Turtle Farm fails to match the welfare standards that would be required in the UK. 42.6% of turtles hatchlings from the farm are dead within the first 18 months, a further 17.1% die within 42 months.”
Some terrestrial charismatic megafauna also benefited from this meeting of CITES. CITES Parties reaffirmed their commitment to protecting all eight remaining bear species across the globe. “The illegal trade in bear bile and bear gallbladders puts a price on the head of every bear across the globe,” noted Mr. Roberts, who also chairs the SSN Bear Working Group. Until Parties prove that they have demonstrably reduced this illegal trade, they must continue to pay vigilant attention to this global conservation issue.
“The decision by CITES to maintain and strengthen conservation of and trade in bears is greatly welcomed by the SSN,” said Philip Wilson, Libearty Project officer for the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA). “Increasing evidence suggests that China is dramatically increasing its bear bile industry and shows no real intention of closing down its farms. The aggressive international marketing of bear bile for use in Traditional Asian Medicine and other products is an increasing threat to bears in the wild and those incarcerated on the bear farms in China.”
Big cats across their Asian range also were included in the CITES deliberations. A new resolution was passed to broaden attention beyond tigers alone. Debbie Banks, Senior Campaigner of the Environmental Investigation Agency and member of the SSN Board, congratulated India on its successful efforts to ensure that Asian Snow and Clouded leopards receive as much international attention and support as tigers. “The forgotten cats were at last given their turn on the CITES stage.”
And in the most dominant debate at the meeting, Zimbabwe and Zambia lost their attempt to resume the international commercial elephant ivory trade. “The wisdom of the decisions made with regard to elephants will be put to the test in the months and years ahead,” Mr. Travers contended, referring to the decision to potentially allow sale of stockpiled ivory from Botswana, Namibia and South Africa some time in late 2004. “I hope and pray that the security of so many of Africa and Asia’s elephants and the people sworn to protect them will not be compromised as a result of this conference. Only time will tell.”
“In the final analysis,” concluded Mr. Travers, “this meeting of the Conference of the Parties showed that CITES has a soul and a conscience, that decisions will be taken on the basis of sound science, but also with due attention to the ethical considerations of right and wrong. History will judge the Santiago meeting well, I believe.”
