Nations meet to curb trade of at-risk species
GENEVA — From guitars to traditional medicines and from tusk to tail, mankind’s exploitation of the planet’s fauna and flora is putting some of them at risk of extinction. Representatives of some 180 nations are meeting in Geneva to agree on protections for vulnerable species, taking up issues including the trade in ivory and the demand for shark fin soup.
The World Wildlife Conference on trade in endangered species, known as CITES, which takes place every three years, aims to make sure that global trade in specimens of wild animals and plants doesn’t jeopardize their survival.
The conference opened Saturday and runs through Aug. 28, with key decisions expected to be finalized in the last two days.
Three months ago, the first comprehensive U.N. report on biodiversity warned that extinction is looming for over 1 million species of plants and animals. There are growing concerns that policymakers aren’t acting quickly enough to stop it.
“Business as usual is no longer an option … The rate of wildlife extinction is accelerating,” said CITES Secretary-General Ivonne Higuero in her opening remarks to the conference.
“The assessment confirms that nature’s dangerous decline is unprecedented,” Higuero said.
The meeting also comes just days after the Trump administration announced plans to water down the U.S. Endangered Species Act — a message that could echo among attendees at the CITES conference.
CITES bans trade in some products entirely, while permitting international trade in other species provided it doesn’t hurt their numbers in the wild.
Demand is diverse for animal and plant products, prized for their medicinal properties or as pets, culinary delicacies, and products for knitwear and handbags — among many other uses.
The meeting’s agenda contains 56 proposals to change — mostly strengthen — the level of protection among vulnerable or endangered species. Officials said the decisions are to be based on science alone.
“Twenty listing proposals are inspired by concern over the growing appetite of the exotic pet trade for charismatic amphibians and reptiles,” CITES says.
Africa is facing an internal debate about elephants and ivory.
Zambia — which argues its population of wild African elephants is large and stable, at about 27,000 — wants to “downlist” that population to allow for ivory stockpile sales and exports of hunting trophies, hides and leathers. A few other countries in southern Africa want another rule on elephants eased. But 10 other countries — all but one African — want total protection for elephants from any international ivory trade.
Advocacy group Avaaz says one key question is whether Japan, home to the world’s largest legal ivory market, will join other countries committed to closing their ivory trade.
“Japan’s ivory market is fueling the international illegal ivory trade,” Avaaz campaigner Andy Legon said in an email. “And with elephants facing extinction, China, the U.S., Hong Kong SAR, Singapore and others have recently committed to closing their ivory markets.”
Also on the agenda are sharks. Some researchers say commercial demand for shark fins — largely driven by the Chinese appetite for shark fin soup — is decimating populations.
Sharks are getting some support in high places, including from retired Houston Rockets star Yao Ming. Yao became a WildAid ambassador in 2006 when he signed a pledge to give up shark fin soup and has since appeared in numerous ads calling for diners to skip the luxury soup to save sharks.
Dr. Abdulla Naseer, the Maldives’ environment minister, said his island nation supports three proposals to protect 18 species of sharks and rays.
“We would be ensuring future trade is sustainable … before it’s too late,” he said. “We want to see the oceans protected for future generations.”