Disappointing start to CITES Standing Committee as countries complicit in illegal ivory trade exit the monitoring mechanism

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	Disappointing start to CITES Standing Committee as countries complicit in illegal ivory trade exit the monitoring mechanism
	admin
	2018-10-01
发布年	2018
语种	英语
国家	国际
领域	资源环境
正文(英文)	Today’s decision allowing countries complicit in the illegal ivory trade to withdraw from the National Ivory Action Plans (NIAPs) process deals a severe blow to international elephant conservation efforts 01 October 2018, Rosa Khutor, Russian Federation:The 70th meeting of the Standing Committee to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora (CITES) got off to a disappointing start with a decision that China, Kenya, Philippines, Thailand, Tanzania and Uganda be released from a process whereby they must report on steps taken to address their roles in illegal ivory trade. These six countries are among a number that have been required by CITES to develop National Ivory Action Plans (NIAPs) and to report on their implementation of those plans. The Committee granted exit to these countries on the basis of their favourable submissions made by the countries themselves, without the need for an adequate independent verification mechanism. This deals a serious blow to international efforts to halt the illegal ivory trade which is estimated to kill about 20,000 elephants a year. This decision was reached despite the submission to the Committee of a comprehensive report by the Environmental Investigation Agency to the Committee on the implementation of NIAPs in selected countries, including all of those listed above with the exception of the Philippines. The report outlined shortcomings in all cases. For example, Kenya and Tanzania are still major exit points for illegal ivory leaving Africa, while China's recent domestic ivory trade ban has yet to yield sufficient results on the ground to reassure observers that they are adequately addressing their role as the largest consumer market, a point reinforced by two reports released last week by TRAFFIC. The most recent external assessment of the level of illegal ivory trade within the countries as given by CITES' own Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS) rated several of these countries within the top two priority categories for illegal ivory trade in 2016. In response, WWF’s Wildlife Practice Leader and Head of Delegation to the Standing Committee, Margaret Kinnaird said: “We are dismayed by this decision by the Committee. Facilitating the exit of countries that are implicated to this extent in the illegal ivory trade from the NIAP process runs counter to the objective of the entire process and sets us several steps back in the fight to protect elephants.” "The NIAP process has been undermined by over-reliance on reporting by the implicated countries, who have an obvious interest in downplaying any areas where progress is not being made,"says Colman O Criodain, WWF Wildlife Practice Policy Manager.. "Having been hailed as a game changer in pressuring countries to address their role in illegal ivory trade, it has now become a mere box-ticking exercise. In the meantime, the reports presented to the Committee show that there is no discernible improvement in trends regarding poaching and illegal trade. Far from it, countries are effectively suppressing information on illegal trade by not reporting ivory seizures to TRAFFIC, as required by CITES,” he adds. The Committee will go on to consider other issues this week relating to illegal trade in other species, including rhinos, tigers, marine turtles, parrots and precious timbers. However today's decision does not bode well for the outcomes on these species. -ENDS- Note for editors: The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) entered into force in 1975, in response to concerns that many species were becoming endangered because of international trade. Because this trade crosses national borders, international collaboration and cooperation is crucial to ensure this trade is sustainable and controlled and does not threaten or endanger wildlife. As part of its work on wildlife conservation, WWF supports both enforcement of, and the listing of endangered species in, CITES – the world's largest and, by some accounts, most effective international wildlife conservation agreement. Further information on the role and membership of the Standing Committee may be found here: https://www.cites.org/eng/disc/sc.php For more information, please contact Marsden Momanyi, WWF, Wildlife Practice Communications Manager Email: mmomanyi@wwfint.org
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来源平台	World Wide Fund for Nature
文献类型	新闻
条目标识符	http://119.78.100.173/C666/handle/2XK7JSWQ/124768
专题	资源环境科学
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	admin. Disappointing start to CITES Standing Committee as countries complicit in illegal ivory trade exit the monitoring mechanism. 2018.