CITES COP19: a "historic" and hailed decision on the protection of sharks
Shark fins on the roof of a factory in Hong Kong, January 2, 2013. REUTERS - Bobby Yip
Text by: RFI Follow
4 mins
After the COP-climate in Egypt, it is the COP19 of CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which ended on Friday, November 25 in Panama.
In plenary, glass frogs, matamata turtles, several species of sea cucumbers but above all dozens of species of requiem and hammerhead sharks have entered Appendix II of the Cites.
Listing synonymous with increased control of trade in these species.
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One of the major proposals, supported by the EU and around fifteen States, including the host country, Panama, will remain that of extending protection to around fifty species of sharks threatened by fin trafficking, coveted for making soups in Asia.
A market that exceeds half a billion dollars per year.
The most discussed proposal, it was finally adopted in plenary session and by consensus.
A decision described as "
historic
" by Panama and good news for Charlotte Nithart, spokesperson for the Robin des Bois association and observer at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) , joined by
Pauline Gleize
, journalist in the Economy department of RFI.
Concretely, this means that when you want to do international trade, there must be an import permit from the destination country, and an export permit from the sender country.
This means that the authorities must verify that it was fished legally, that it falls well within the framework of the fishing quotas, and that everything is legit, that there is no illegal, undeclared fishing, which feeds the shipments, so it does not save the entire shark population, of course, but it does allow us to better control and know exactly the volumes entering the trade and therefore to adapt after the management plans, because if you don't know exactly what is being fished, it is extremely difficult to know the state of the resource,
► To read also:
COP27: a major step forward for aid to the South, but no new ambition on emissions
The same goes for Loïs Lelanchon, in charge of the wildlife rescue program at IFAW at the international level, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, at the microphone of
Olivier Chermann
from RFI's Science department:
"It 's
a decision which is very very important, in particular because these were proposals from Panama, therefore the host country, therefore which were of significant importance.
These are species that are highly exploited for the fin and meat trade, so it is very important to control this trade at the international level”
.
“
We no longer have time not to protect species
”
But there is still a long way to go, and for Loïs Lelanchon, there is always an urgent need to act: “
We really don't have time.
This Cites COP comes after a pandemic context.
We also have discussions that have been adopted on the importance of integrating the concept of one health, therefore really taking into account the health risks that are linked to the international trade in wildlife.
We are in a situation where we have millions of species that are threatened with extinction, so it is true that we no longer have the time not to protect species.
This COP Cites is of particular importance, especially for species that are exploited or used for international trade, and also on other topics, for example, proposals that aimed to reopen international trade in ivory and rhinoceros horn were rejected, so that is a very good decision
".
The Cites, in force since 1975, sets the rules for international trade for more than 36,000 wild species, ranging from the issuance of permits (more than one million transactions authorized per year) to total prohibition.
Organized every two or three years, the summit took place this year in the shadows and under the influence of two other UN conferences, which are also crucial for the future of living beings on the planet: COP27 on the climate which ended on Sunday in Egypt and the COP15 on safeguarding biodiversity in December in Montreal.
► To read also: COP Cites 19: the hippopotamus keeps a status "not protective enough"
(
With AFP
)
At each CITES meeting, member countries make requests to reclassify or downgrade certain animals according to the Appendices.
This year, there have been debates around African elephants.
Thirty countries, particularly in West and Central Africa, requested its re-listing in Appendix I, the most restrictive, the one which implies a total ban on the trade in ivory.
But they were unsuccessful and these elephant populations remain in the Appendix, which regulates trade in the species.
No development either on the side of the rhinoceroses for which a country asked for the reopening of trade.
“It's no”, answers the convention and it is a relief for the associations for the protection of fauna and flora.
On the other hand disappointment concerning the hippopotamus.
Several countries including Benin, Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo had made a proposal for it to enter the appendices, highlighting the ever-increasing exploitation of his ivory.
Proposal rejected by other members of the organization.
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