comments and recommendations for proposals to …...limited and regulated trade in white rhino horn...

COMMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PROPOSALS TO AMEND CITES

APPENDIX I AND II: CoP17 | 2016

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COMMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PROPOSALS TO AMEND CITES APPENDIX I AND II:

17th Conference of the Parties, Johannesburg, South Africa (24 September – 5 October 2016)

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RECOMMENDATIONS

4Chad; Ivory Coast; Gabon; Guinea; Mali; Mauritania; Niger; Nigeria; Togo

Panthera leo Lion SUPPORT

Transfer all African populations of Panthera leo from Appendix II to Appendix I

• In2015,theIUCNconductedanassessmentoflionpopulations,andbasedonthebestavailablescientificdata,inferreda43%lossoverthepastthreeliongenerations,ora43%lossover21years(from1993to2014).Thismirrorsglobalestimatesconcludingthattherecouldbefewerthan20,000lionsleftinAfrica.

• Developmentandexpandinghumanpopulations–withcommensurateexpansionoflandneededforlivestockandcrops–haveledtoincreasedinteractionsandconflictwithlions,whichinturnhaveledtoretaliatorykillings when lions predate livestock orattack humans. Additionally, a robust tradein lion products and trophy hunting hasbeen linked to certain population declineswheretheexploitationismostintense.

• PastassumptionsthatlionpopulationsinAfricaarehealthyandplentifulhavebeenprovenwrongbyrecentsurveysandanalysesthatpointtoadireandworseningsituation.Aprecautionaryapproachshouldbetaken,startingbyeliminatingeasilyidentifiableandsignificantthreats,suchasunsustainabletrade.

7Swaziland

Ceratotherium simum simum

Southern White Rhino

OPPOSE

To alter the existing annotation on the Appendix II listing of Swaziland’s white rhinos, to permit a limited and regulated trade in white rhino horn collected from natural deaths, recovered from poached Swazi rhino, and harvested horn from a limited number of white rhino in the future in Swaziland

• By1977,allAfricanrhinocerosspecieswerelistedonCITESAppendixIandallinternationalcommercialtradeinrhinosandtheirproductswasprohibited.In1994,theSouthAfricanpopulationofthesouthernwhiterhinowasdownlistedtoAppendixII,butonlyfortradeinliveanimalsto“approvedandacceptabledestinations”andforthe(continued)exportofhuntingtrophies.In2004,Swaziland’ssouthernwhiterhinoswerealsodownlistedtoCITESAppendixIIbutonlyforliveexportandforlimitedexportofhuntingtrophiesaccordingtospecifiedannualquotas.

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• Rhinopoachinghasincreaseddramaticallyinrecentyears,notablyinSouthAfrica,butalsoinZimbabweandKenya,inresponsetorapidlyincreasingblackmarketpricesforrhinohorn. In2007,13rhinoswererecordedpoachedinSouthAfrica.By2011,448rhinoswerepoachedandin2014poachinginSouthAfricahadrisento1,215animalskilled-a9,000%increaseinpoachinginlessthantenyears.

• Currentpoachingrateshaveeffectivelystalledgrowth in rhino numbers at the continentallevel. Illegal trade in rhino horn has alsoreached the highest levels since the early1990s and in 2014 nearly 2,000 rhino hornsare estimated to have gone into illegal trade.Comparativelyspeaking,theillegalsupplyofrhinohornoutofAfricaisnowmorethan30timesgreaterthanwhatwasobservedintheearly2000s.Thenotionthatdemandcouldbefurnishedthroughlegalsalesisfallaciousandcannotbesubstantiated.Onthecontrary,experts suggest that legal tradewillincrease demand, which could have seriousramificationsforwildrhinopopulations.

8Bangladesh

Manis crassicaudata

Indian Pangolin

SUPPORT

Transfer from Appendix II to Appendix I

• AllpangolinspecieshavebeenonAppendixIIsince1994,withthefourAsianspeciesassignedzero-exportquotasin2000.

• Itisnearlyimpossibletodistinguishwhichspeciesloosescalesbelongtowithoutexpensivegenetictesting.Thus,thecurrentprotectionschemecancauseconfusion for customs officials who cannotdeterminewhatspeciesisbeingtraded.

• AsAsianpangolinpopulationscontinuetodwindle,demandhasshiftedtowardsAfricanspecies.Inthelastfewyears,seizuresofshipmentscontainingtonsofpangolinscalesoriginatinginAfricaanddestinedforAsiahavebecomeregularoccurrences.Inaddition,somelegaltradeofAfricanpangolinscontinuestooccur.

• Over1millionpangolinshavebeentakenfromthewildandillegallytradedinthepastdecade.Consideringthatpangolinsareslowgrowingmammals,therateatwhichtheyarebeingkillediswhollyunsustainableandcouldresultinthelossofentirepopulationswithinthenextgeneration.

9India; Nepal; USA;Sri Lanka

Manis crassicaudata

Indian Pangolin

SUPPORT


• SeecommentsonProposal8

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10Philippines; USA

Manis culionensis

Philippine Pangolin

SUPPORT



11USA; Vietnam

Manis javanica Sunda Pangolin

SUPPORT


• SeecommentsonProposal8• PangolinpopulationsinChinaandVietNamhave

beendecimatedbypoaching,andinsomeareas,areconsideredcommerciallyextinct.Bothspecieswithrangesinthosecountriesarerated“CriticallyEndangered”ontheIUCN’sRedListofThreatenedSpecies.

Manis pentadactyla

Chinese Pangolin

12Angola; Botswana; Chad; Ivory Coast; Gabon; Guinea; Kenya; Liberia; Nigeria; Senegal; South Africa; Togo; USA

Manis tetradactyla

Long-tailed Pangolin

SUPPORT


• SeecommentsonProposal8Manis tricuspis

White-bellied Pangolin

Manis gigantean

Giant Pangolin

Manis temminckii

South African Pangolin

13EU; Morocco

Macaca sylvanus

Barbary Macaque

SUPPORT

Transfer of Macaca sylvanus from Appendix II to Appendix I

• Thisis inaccordancewithResolutionConf.9.24(Rev.CoP16),Annex 1,paragraphCi:amarkeddeclineinthepopulationsizeinthewildwhichhasbeenobservedasongoingorashavingoccurredinthepast(butwithpotentialtoresume).

• Thespecieshasbeencategorizedas“Endangered”onthe IUCNRedListsince2008basedonanestimatedpopulationdeclineexceeding50%overthelastthreegenerations(24years).Thisdeclineisexpectedtocontinueinthefuture.

• Anestimated6,500to9,100BarbarymacaquesareleftinhighlyfragmentedareasinMoroccoandAlgeria.ThenumberinMoroccostandsat6,000-7,000.Averagepopulationdensityhasdeclinedby50-80%overthelast30years.

• Habitatlossandfragmentationareregardedasthemainthreat;theillegaltradeinlivemacaquesforthelivepettradeisalsoasignificantdangertothewildM. sylvanuspopulation.Mostofthespecimenstakenfromthewildarefortheinternationalpettrade.SpainisthemainentrypointinEurope.AtransfertoAppendixIwillsupportthetworangestatesandEuropeintheirmeasurestoprotectthespecies.

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14Namibia

Loxodonta africana

African Elephant

OPPOSE

Delete all annotations from Namibia’s Appendix II listing of Loxodonta africana, thereby allowing trade in Namibia elephant ivory

• Recentanalysesofpoachingandillegaltradetrendssuggesttherehasbeenasteadyincreaseinelephantpoachingsince2006,peakingin2011.In2010-2012,anestimated35,000-50,000elephantswerekilledannuallyfortheirivory.Whilepoachingrateshavestabilizedinsomepopulations,overall,levelsremainunsustainablyhigh.Inparticular,poachinglevelsinWestandCentralAfricaarecauseformajorconcern:Somepopulationscouldfaceextirpationinthenextfewyearsiftrendscontinue.Further,therearesuggestionsthatthepoachingwavethathitEastAfrica,notablyTanzaniaandKenya,overthepastdecade,ismovingsouthandthatpopulationsinsouthernAfricaareunderincreasingthreat.This isparticularlysignificantgiventhatsouthernAfricaishometoapproximately60%ofAfrica’scontinentalelephantpopulation.

• GivencurrentpoachingtrendsandtheassociatedillicittradetomeetdemandintheFarEast,notablyChina,aswellasagrowingbodyofevidencewhichsuggeststhatalegal,regulatedtradewouldnotbeabletomeetmarketdemand,itisdifficulttoseehowestablishingso-called“controlledtradeinallelephantspecimens,includingivory”or“establishingopenmarketsalesofelephantivory”forwhateverpurportedreasonwouldprotectAfricanelephantsfromover-exploitationfromtrade.

15Namibia; Zimbabwe

Loxodonta africana

African Elephant

OPPOSE

Remove all annotations from Zimbabwe’s Appendix II listing of Loxodonta africana, thereby allowing trade in Zimbabwe elephant ivory


16Benin; Burkina Faso; CAR; Chad; Ethiopia; Kenya; Liberia; Mali; Niger; Nigeria; Senegal; Sri Lanka; Uganda

Loxodonta africana

African Elephant

SUPPORT

Inclusion of ALL populations of Loxodonta Africana in Appendix I (i.e., transfer from Appendix II to Appendix I of the populations of Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe)

• Giventhecurrentpoachingcrisis,coupledwithpoorprogressinstemmingglobaldemandforivory,enhancedprotectivemeasuresforwildelephantpopulationsarenecessary.Despiteincreasedglobalawarenessandnumerouspositiveinternationaleffortstodrawattentiontotheelephantcrisis,poachingandassociatedillicittradecontinuestoescalate.

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• Whileinandofitself,adecisiontoplaceallelephantpopulationsbackonAppendixIwillnotnecessarilyresultinadecreaseinpoachingintheshort-term,thelonger-termconsequencesofsuchadecisionwouldbetosendastrongprecautionarymessagetobothconsumersandtheenforcementcommunity.

• IFAWurgesCITESPartiestofocusonassessingandprioritizingelephantconservationneedsacrossAfricaandtouseandstrengthenexistingmechanismssuchastheAfricanElephantActionPlan(AEAP)andassociatedAfricanElephantFund(AEF)tosupportthesepriorities,therebytakingthefocusawayfromcontroversialtradenegotiations.Therefore,IFAWopposesCoP17Prop.14andCoP17Prop.15andsupportsCoP17Prop.16toincludeallpopulationsofLoxodonta africanainAppendixI.

19Angola; Chad; EU; Gabon; Guinea; Nigeria; Senegal; Togo; USA

Psittacus erithacus

African Grey Parrot

SUPPORT

Transfer of Psittacus erithacus from Appendix II to Appendix I

• TheAfricangreyparrot isconsideredthethirdmostinternationally-traded,wild-harvestedbird,withtheirpopulationsindeclineinatleast14outof18rangecountries.

• ACITESSignificantTradeReviewofAfricangreyparrotsin2006showedthatexportsfrom1994to2003representedaharvestofpotentiallyupto21%ofthewildpopulationannually.

• Trade-associateddeclinesareduetoover-harvestingarisingfromtheuseofpoorly-foundedquotas;poormanagementandregulationoftrade, includingexceededquotas,fraudulentpermituse,falsereportingofcodeC,stolenpermits,photocopiedpermits,reusedpermitsduetolimitedcapacityandresourcesofauthorities;highpre-exportmortalityfrompoorhandling;andalargeillegaltradeduetoweakenforcement.

• Basedonlegaltradedata,itisestimatedthatover1.3millionAfricangreyswereexportedfromrangestatesbetween1975and2013.However,duetodeplorabletransitconditions,parrotmortalityratesaverage40-60%thusmakingthetrueestimateofcapturedAfricangreysat2.1-3.2millionduringthisperiod.

42Bahamas; Bangladesh; Benin; Brazil; Burkina Faso;Comoros; Dominican Republic; Egypt;

Carcharhinus falciformis

Silky Shark SUPPORT

Inclusion of Carcharhinus falciformis in Appendix II

• Duetoitsslowgrowth,latematurity,andproductionof few young, C. falciformis is vulnerable tooverexploitationbyfishingandhasexperiencedsignificant and ongoing population declinesthroughoutitsrange.

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EU; Fiji; Gabon; Ghana; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Maldives; Mauritania; Palau; Panama; Samoa; Senegal; Sri Lanka; Ukraine

• C. falciformishavedeclinedbyover70%inalmosteveryareatheyarefoundandforwhichdata,ecologicalriskassessments,andstockassessmentsareavailable.

• TheAtlanticpopulationisbelievedtohavedeclinedby90%overthelast40yearssincethe1950s.

• TheIndianOceanpopulationisbelievedtohavedeclinedby50to90%overthelast20years.

• ThePacificOceanpopulationisbelievedtohavedeclinedby67%inlessthan20years.

• Thegreatestthreattothesilkysharkisunsustainablelevelsoffisheriesmortalityintargetsharkfisheries,asautilizedbycatch,particularlyofindustrialtunafisheriesonthehighseas,andadiscardedbycatchspecies.

• Thefinsofthisspeciesarevaluableandproductsfromthesefisheriesenterinternationaltrade.

• TheFAOexpertpanelconcludedthattheavailableevidencesupportstheirinclusioninCITESAppendixII.

• AppendixIIlistingswillensurethatinternationaltradedataisaccuratelyrecorded,asrequiredtoachievesustainablemanagementunderFAO’sInternationalPlanofActionforSharks.

• AppendixIIlistingswillrequireexportingcountriestoundertakeNon-DetrimentFindingsbeforespecimenscanbeexportedtoensurethattradeisnotdetrimentaltothespecies’survival.

• AppendixIIlistingswillenableinternationaltrademonitoringat thespecies level for theabove-mentionedspeciesandmighttriggeritforothersharkspeciesaswell.

43Bahamas; Bangladesh; Benin; Brazil; Burkina Faso; Comoros; Dominican Republic; Egypt; EU; Fiji; Gabon; Ghana; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Kenya; Maldives; Mauritania; Palau; Panama; Samoa; Senegal; Seychelles; Sri Lanka; Ukraine

Alopias spp. Thresher Shark

SUPPORT

Inclusion of the genus Alopias spp. in Appendix II

• ThebiologyandverylowintrinsicreproductiverateofAlopiasspp.makesthemamongthemostvulnerableof all shark species to anthropogenic mortalityworldwide,whetherasatargetorbycatchspecies.

• Threshersarethefamilyathighestriskofextinctionofallpelagicsharks.

• Worldwide,theAlopiasspeciescomplexhasdeclinedbyover70%inalmosteveryareatheyarefound.

• Thebigeyethreshersharkhasexhibitedpopulationdeclinesthroughoutitsrangeineveryareawheresufficientspecies-specifichistoricalandcurrentpopulationdataexist.Datashowspopulationsdeclinesof:- 70-80%intheAtlanticOceanwithinthe lastthree-generationperiod;- Over80%declineintheIndianOcean withinthelastthree-generationperiod;- Over80%declineinthePacificOcean withinthelastthree-generationperiod.

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• TheproportionofthreshersharkfinsappearingintheHongKongsharkfinmarkethasdeclined77-99%inthepasttento15years.

• TheFAOexpertpanelconcludedthattheavailableevidencesupportsinclusioninAppendixII.


• AppendixIIlistingswillrequireexportingcountriestoundertakeNon-DetrimentFindingsbeforespecimenscanbeexportedtoensurethattradeisnotdetrimentaltothespeciessurvival.


44Bahamas; Bangladesh; Benin; Brazil; Burkina Faso; Comoros; Costa Rica; Ecuador; Egypt; EU; Fiji; Ghana; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Maldives; Mauritania; Palau; Panama; Samoa; Senegal; Seychelles; Sri Lanka; USA

Mobula spp. Devil Rays SUPPORT

Inclusion of the genus Mobula spp. in Appendix II

• ThoughglobalpopulationnumbersareunknownforMobulaspp.,globalgenus-widedeclineshavebeenrecordedanddramaticlocaldeclinesobservedintheIndo-Pacificoveronly10to15years.

• M. japanica and M. tarapacana are caught incommercialandartisanal, targetandbycatch,fisheries throughout their global range in theAtlantic,PacificandIndianOceans.

• ThehighandincreasingvalueofgillplateshasdrivenincreasedtargetfishingpressureforallMobula spp. in key range states, with manyformerbycatchfisherieshavingbecomedirectedcommercialexportfisheries.Thegillplates,usedbymantasandmobularaystofilterfoodfromthewater,arehighlyvaluedininternationaltrade.

• Whiletherearenohistoricalbaselinepopulationdata,newresearchonthescaleandimpactsofmobulidfisheriesinSriLanka,India,Indonesia,thePhilippines,Peru,andGuineaandcontinuedstrongdemandformobulidgillplatesinChinastronglysuggest recent, marked increases in rates ofdepletionforthesespeciesduringthepastdecade.

• TheFAOexpertpanelconcludedthattheavailableevidencesupportsinclusioninAppendixII.


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• AppendixIIlistingswillrequireexportingcountriestoundertakeNon-DetrimentFindingsbeforespecimenscanbeexportedtoensurethattradeisnotdetrimentaltothespeciessurvival.


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Doc. 57.2Angola et al

Loxodonta africana

Ivory Markets SUPPORT

Closure of domestic markets:

• “allPartiesandnon-Parties,particularlythoseinwhose jurisdictionthere isa legaldomesticmarketforivory,oranydomesticcommerceinivory,adoptallnecessarylegislative,regulatoryandenforcementmeasuresasamatterofurgencytoclosetheirdomesticmarketsforcommercialtradeinraworworkedivory,oranydomesticcommerceinivory.”

Doc 57.3 Benin

Loxodonta africana

Ivory Stockpiles

SUPPORT

Ivory stockpiles:

• “Partiesmaintainaninventoryofgovernment-heldstockpilesof ivoryand,wherepossible,ofsignificantprivatelyheldstockpilesofivorywithintheirterritory,andinformtheSecretariatofthelevelofthisstockeachyearbefore28February,indicating:thenumberofpiecesandtheirweightpertypeof ivory(raworworked);forrelevantpieces,andifmarked,theirmarkingsinaccordancewiththeprovisionsofthisResolution;thesourceoftheivory;andthereasonsforanysignificantchangesinthestockpilecomparedtotheprecedingyear”and;“allPartieswithgovernment-heldivorystockpiles:

• Destroyall ivorywhich issurplustobonafidescientific,educational,enforcementoridentificationpurposes,aftertakingforensicsamplestodetermineitsorigin,inordertopreventtheivoryfromenteringthemarketandtosendaclearmessagethatthepoachingofelephantsandtraffickinginivorymustend;and

• Establishprotocolstocontinuedestroyingsuchivorythatmaybeacquiredinthefuture.”

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Doc 57.4 Burkina Faso et al

Loxodonta africana

Trade in Live Elephants

SUPPORT

Trade in live elephants:

• “allelephantrangeStateshaveinplacelegislative,regulatory,enforcement,orothermeasurestoprevent illegal and detrimental trade in liveelephantsandtominimizetheriskofinjury,damagetohealthorcrueltreatmentofliveelephantsintrade;”

• RequeststhatPartiesagreethat,“inrelationtotradeinliveelephantstakenfromthewild,theonlyrecipientsthatshouldberegardedas“appropriateandacceptable”(asreferredtoinResolutionConf.11.20)and“suitablyequippedtohouseandcarefor”thoseelephantsinaccordancewithArticleIII,Para3(6)oftheConventionareinsituconservationprogrammesorsecureareasinthewildwithinthespecies’naturalrange,exceptinthecaseoftemporarytransfersinemergencysituations.”

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comments and recommendations for proposals to …...limited and regulated trade in white rhino horn...

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