The parties to the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora debate for hours,
days, sometimes even years over the levels of protection to
provide species, but those protections would mean little
without the individuals who actually enforce those laws. Their
dangerous work, which literally may include taking a bullet for
the animals, rarely receives the attention it deserves.
That momentarily changed on Monday, October 4, in Bangkok at
the meeting of the Parties to CITES (Cop13) when the Species
Survival Network, a coalition of more than 80 conservation,
environmental and animal welfare groups such as The HSUS and Humane Society
International bestowed the Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Law
Enforcement Awards to six worthy recipients. Named for the late
head of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service's Division
of Law Enforcement—a man credited with pioneering the agency's
successful undercover and sting operations—these awards are
given to wildlife law enforcement officials who devote their
lives, sometimes even sacrifice their lives, to the protection
of threatened and endangered species.
Nominated by the parties and non-governmental organizations,
this year's recipients were Pol. Maj. Gen. Sawaeke Pinsinchai
and Thanit Palasuwan, both of Thailand; Chey Yuthearith of
Cambodia; Sheila Einsweiler of the United States; Corporal Huka
Umuro Kuri of Kenya; and the entire Anti-Smuggling Bureau of
the government of China.
Some of the winners have been involved in hundreds of trade
cases, and some have faced down gangs of armed poachers. All
have made important inroads in the fight against illegal
wildlife trade. For more information about the individual
winners, go to the SSN
web site.
Underlining the importance of wildlife law enforcement, SSN
member The Environmental Investigation Agency later released a
report on the still thriving trade in tiger skins. Available at
the
EIA web site, the report showed that there are ten times as
many tiger skins in the market today as there were five years
ago.
Most of the skins, the report said, are sold to rich
buyers—they fetch around $US10,000—in China and Europe. The
EIA's Julian Newman told reporters that ''CITES discusses the
regulation of the trade. But without enforcement, the decisions
taken here are meaningless.''
Notes from the Committees
On Tuesday, October 5, the delegates met in two committees.
Committee I considered conservation of and trade in saiga
antelope, tortoises and freshwater turtles, hawksbill sea
turtles, sharks and sea cucumbers. Committee II considered
conservation of and trade in sturgeons, cooperation with the
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and incorporation of
CBD Sustainable Use Principles and Guidelines into CITES.
On Wednesday, October 6, Committee I reviewed CITES's
efforts to address conservation of bigleaf mahogany through
management plans and capacity building. It also agreed to terms
of reference for an evaluation of a key CITES process—the
"Review of Significant Trade"—that evaluates trade in species
listed on Appendix II to ensure that it is not detrimental to
the survival of the species concerned.
The same committee then considered the process by which
operations that breed species listed on Appendix I for
commercial purposes—such as parrots—are registered with the
CITES Secretariat, and set up a working group to incorporate
ideas discussed into a resolution. CITES bans international
commercial trade in species listed on Appendix I. However, if
the specimens are bred in captivity at an operation registered
with the CITES Secretariat, those animals can be traded after
meeting stringent criteria for registration.
Some parties as well as the CITES Secretariat want to
eliminate the registration process because they consider it
burdensome. Other parties and The HSUS believe the registration
process is critical to ensure that wild-caught specimens are
not laundered through bogus breeding operations. The working
group will most likely discuss these opposing views and report
back to the committee. The committee also approved a draft
revision of the criteria used by parties when considering
proposals to list species on Appendices I or II.
Committee II considered economic incentives and trade
policies. It also discussed the possible contribution to the
conservation of—or conversely, the harm caused by—captive
breeding to wild populations of the same species, and decided
that the Standing Committee should address this and report back
to CoP14. In addition, the committee revised several existing
resolutions and decisions, and approved changes to CITES
reporting requirements.
For further details, see the Earth Negotiations
Bulletin. Hsus.org will also provide further details on
important CITES issues as more information becomes available.
Please check our web site frequently during CoP13, which runs
until October 14.
