Members of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) have rejected proposals to lift the 14 year ban on commercial ivory trade and have adopted an action plan to crack down on unregulated domestic ivory markets across Africa. White rhinos did not fare so well in Monday's voting by 166 governments in Bangkok for their biennial meeting to update trade rules, but the great white shark was protected.
Despite rejection of a Kenyan bid to have any new ivory stockpile sales put on hold for six years, proposals by Namibia to establish annual sales of up to 2,000 kilograms of ivory and to create a commercial trade in traditional ivory carvings known as "ekipas" were both defeated Monday.
Elephant ivory on display at the Bangkok meeting of Parties to the CITES treaty (Photo courtesy Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB))
"Enactment of this action plan is a conservation victory," said Ginette Hemley, vice president for species conservation at World Wildlife Fund (WWF). "For the first time, the plan endorsed today commits every African country with an internal ivory market to either strictly control the trade or shut it down completely."
Africa's unregulated domestic ivory markets continue to be the biggest driver of poaching for illegal trade, according to a report issued at the meeting by TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network of WWF and IUCN-The World Conservation Union.
The illegal ivory trade is the driving factor behind the killing of at least 4,000 elephants annually across Africa, TRAFFIC found.
Governments that are Parties to the CITES treaty also voted Monday to allow trade in elephant leather and hair by Namibia and South Africa. There is no evidence that elephants are poached for their leather or hair, said Hemley, so this trade is not expected to be a conservation threat.
"The international community rightly rejected Namibia's proposal to resume commercial trade, which was premature. Namibia's elephant conservation programs are exemplary and highlight the community-based conservation programs that provide real benefits to local people," Hemley said. "But the global ivory trade should not resume until there is a system in place to track the impact of illegal trade on elephant populations."
Southeast Asian Nations Pledge Joint Conservation Effort
In Bangkok, the 10 members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Monday announced an initiative to work together to address the region's wildlife trade crisis.
As economic growth has increased, demand has risen in Southeast Asia for products such as birds and reptiles for the pet trade, luxury items made from ivory and hawksbill turtle shell products, and high-value traditional medicines such as musk and ginseng.
The ASEAN Statement focuses on six key areas of co-operation, including the need for increased law enforcement co-operation, comprehensive legal frameworks, and more scientific information to be made available to guide wildlife trade management by CITES authorities.
Beyond the ASEAN Statement itself, the 10 countries have agreed to develop an Action Plan for the time period 2005-2010.
Suwit Khunkitti is Thailand's Minister of Natural Resources and Environment. (Photo courtesy ENB)
"This initiative is remarkable because of the diversity of nations involved, and singular focus on wildlife trade," said Suwit Khunkitti, Thailand's Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, told reporters. "It will lead to further commitment in the region, and closer engagement among neighbors to combat illegal wildlife trade."
The accession of Laos to the CITES treaty this year means that all 10 countries of the ASEAN group are now Parties to the Convention. This creates a common procedural framework to ensure that international wildlife trade is legal and sustainable.
"The ASEAN Statement on CITES puts in place the foundations for an integrated regional effort to crack down on illegal trade and to improve the management of animals and plants that can be legally traded under CITES, to also support the sustainable development of ASEAN countries," said James Compton, director of TRAFFIC Southeast Asia.
But, he cautioned, making CITES work as a conservation tool, depends on action at the national level.
Swaziland Rhino Trade Allowed
In the African nation of Swaziland, just 61 white rhinos remain. Nevertheless, the CITES delegates Monday approved live sales of seven percent of the rhino population and a further one percent for trophy hunting, each year.
White rhino in Swaziland's Mhkaya Game Reserve (Photo credit unknown)
The decision to approve Swaziland's proposal follows last week's controversial CITES votes to permit rhino trophy hunting exports from Namibia and South Africa. Further controversy centers on the approval since the manager of Swaziland's Big Game Parks owns the animals and also signs the permits for export from the country.
"Swaziland's rhino population was wiped out in the early part of the 20th century and did not exist until animals were re-introduced in the 1960's," said Will Travers, president of the Species Survival Network. "During one four-year period - 1988-1992 - Swaziland lost 80 percent of its rhinos according to its own proposal. It must be hoped that today's worrying decision will not increase pressure on rhino in Swaziland and elsewhere."
Nicholas Duncan, president of Save Foundation of Australia, said, "There is already widespread rhino poaching in Africa and Asia. Since 2002 a total of at least 230 rhino have been killed illegally. Swaziland's proposal sends out exactly the wrong message and could lead to yet further poaching pressure on fragile rhino numbers."
Some delegates appeared confused by the need for Swziland's proposal, since activities such as non-commercial trade in live animals and even trophy hunting are permissible under CITES Appendix I, under which no commercial trade is allowed.
Great White Shark Protected
The great white shark did win international trade protection today at the CITES meeting as delegates approved a proposal by Australia and Madagascar.
Conservationists said CITES trade regulation will enhance domestic measures to protect the species and support its listing on the Convention on Migratory Species.
"This globally-threatened, slow growing, long lived marine predator needs global help more than ever," said Nicola Beynon, Humane Society International spokesperson and chair of the Species Survival Network Fish Working Group.
"Without immediate international action under CITES, the global trade in shark jaws, fins, and teeth will exacerbate its decline across its range. We simply cannot stand by while this species, which has roamed the oceans for millions of years, is decimated by human greed," Benyon said.
"One set of jaws from a great white shark from South Africa was valued at $50,000, with small jaw sets fetching between $10,000 and $20,000," said Adam Roberts, executive director of the Animal Welfare Institute and an officer of the Species Survival Network, "Even individual teeth can go for hundreds of dollars."
"On the first day of the meeting we found hundreds of great white shark teeth and two complete sets of jaws for sale on the Internet, completely unregulated," said Carroll Muffett, Director of International Programs for Defenders of Wildlife. "Demand like that and ease of purchase creates a huge incentive for fishermen to kill great whites wherever they find them - whether they're targeted internationally or caught accidentally in nets or fishing lines."
Japan Turned Down for Minke Whale Trade
Delegates defeated a move by Japan to reopen commercial trade in minke whales. The vote was defeated with 55 votes in favor, 67 against, and 14 abstentions.
As in the four previous meetings of the Parties, Japan's minke whale proposal did not win a simple majority in support.
Conservationists say the outcome of the voted should send an unequivocal message to Japan that CITES Parties will not accept international trade in whales while the International Whaling Commission (IWC) prohibits such actions. An IWC ban on commercial whaling has been in place since 1986.
"International competency for decisions regarding commercial whaling rests with the IWC," said Travers. "Since the IWC moratorium on commercial whaling took effect in 1986, Japan, Norway, and Iceland kill almost 1,500 whales annually under the guise of 'scientific whaling'. Perhaps Japan should consider strictly abiding by the global moratorium and its international treaty obligations rather than continue to pursue its unacceptable whaling agenda which takes time away from other CITES Parties and their important conservation proposals."
