Convention on the international trade in endangered species of wild flora and fauna (CITES)

Biological science presentation on (CITES)

1. PRESENTATION TOPIC CONVENTION ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN ENDANGERED SPECIES OF WILD FAUNA AND FLORA BY KWAME-BINEY MICHAEL ( 10398825) UNIVERSITY OF GHANA COLLEGE OF BASIC AND APPLIED SCIENCES SCHOOL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

2. Presentation outline Definition of Terms Background to the Convention Aim Key provisions of the convention Implementation and Challenges Responsibilities and Benefit to parties Current issues Conclusion

3. Definition of Terms 1/2 Ecosystem: Community of individuals and the physical components of the environment in a certain area. Fauna: Animal life existing in a defined area Flora: Plant life existing in a defined area. Threatened Species: Species that are likely to become an endangered species in the long run.

4. Definition of Terms 2/2 Endangered Species: Species that are vulnerable to extinction Extinction: No longer in existence . ( Abido and May 2010)

5. Background 1/3 International wildlife trade is a multi-billion-dollar industry with hundreds of millions of plants and animals traded annually. Live plants and animals, timber, textiles, food products, leather, and medicines are traded on the world market every day. Most of these trades are legal and do not threaten the survival of the various species of flora or fauna involved. Some of the international wildlife trade, however, involves the trade of endangered plants or animals or products derived from them.

6. Background 2/3 In the early and mid twentieth century, the exploitation of wild flora and fauna, along with the destruction of ecosystems, resulted in many species becoming endangered or extinct . The trade of endangered species was often across international boundaries; this however limited the ability of nations to effectively control the flow of endangered species in and out of their countries.

7. Background 3/3 In 1963, the World Conservation Union or the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN ) an NGO devoted to conservation of the environment, passed a resolution calling on all nations to work together to protect endangered species . As a result, on 3 rd March 1973 in Washington DC, 80 nations adopted CITES, an agreement to regulate the international trade of endangered plants and animals. CITES went into effect in 1 st July, 1975 . CITES has widespread international support. Currently with 183 signed parties to the convention . Ghana was the 20 th country to ratify the convention ( 14 th November 1975)

8. Aim of the convention The overall aim of the convention is to ensure that international trade does not threaten the survival of the species in the wild It achieves this by regulating and monitoring exports and imports of live and dead plants and animals and their derivatives.

9. Key Provision of the Convention 1/4 CITES consist of 22 Articles and 3 Appendices. These appendices are classified according to the degree of protection needed.

10. Key Provision of the Convention 2/4 Article 2: Fundamental Principles Under this convention: Appendix I shall include species threatened with extinction. A ppendix II shall include species threatened but not extinct and such species would be subject to strict regulations to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival Appendix III shall include species that should at least be protected by one country. Also Parties shall not allow trade species included in Appendices I, II and III except in accordance with the provisions of the present convention.

11. Key Provision of the Convention 3/4 Articles 3-5: Regulation of Species Under this convention all trade in species included in Appendix I shall be managed by authorities of the state and it would be ensured that exports were not obtained in contravention of the laws of that state for the protection of fauna and flora. Exports of species under appendix II shall require the prior grant and presentation of export permit which shall be granted when there is approval by both the scientific and management authority that provision has been made for a safer shipping of the species.

12. Key Provision of the Convention 4/4 Articles 3-5: Regulation of Species Also the import of any specimen of species included in Appendix III shall require the prior presentation of a certificate of origin and where the import is from a state which has included that species in appendix 3 can be exported.

13. A ppendix I (Species threatened with extinction) ( 300 ANIMALS AND 300 PLANT SPECIES) Atlantic Halibut Acadian Redfish White Skate Maltese Ray Bluefin Tuna Hawksbil Turtle ( Eretmochelys imbricate ) Kemp’s Ridley Blue whale Asian Surf grass Red algae ( Gracilaria skottsbergii ) Sea grass ( Zostera Chilensis ) Johnsons sea grass Tumu Berau (Mangrove) Eyelash seaweed Sea kale

14. Appendix II (Species that are not threatened by extinction but can experience serious decline in number if trade is not restricted (1400 ANIMALS AND 25000 PLANTS SPECIES) Kingfish Stumpnoses Breams Sharks Lampreys Seahorses. Ray-finned fish White Abalone Staghorn coral Nymphaea lotus Armeria helodes Utricularia inflexa Apium repens

15. Appendix III ( species are protected in at least one country that is a CITES member). (270 ANIMAL SPECIES AND 30 PLANTS SPECIES) Ghana- Humpback whale, Manatees South Africa – Sharks, kingfish Australia – Galaxias Cameroon- Seahorses China- Rayfinned fishes Tanzania- Barbus

16. Implementation 1/3 Ever since the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora came into effect in 1975, it has provided a framework for the regulating and monitoring trade of wildlife within which the contracting parties have had more success of preventing illegal trade practices with the help of other international bodies. In order to ensure that trade procedures and rules are implemented CITES works with the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). The secretariat of GATT is also consulted during drafting process to ensure that GATT rules are also not violated.

17. Implementation 2/3 Also in accordance with Article 6 of the convention where appropriate and feasible, a management authority may affix a mark upon any specimen to assist in identifying the specimen so as to render its imitation by unauthorized persons as difficult as possible. According to Article 9 of the convention each party shall designate for the purpose of the present convention one or more management authority competent to grant permits or certificates on behalf of that party and one or more scientific authorities.

18. Implementation 3/3 According to Article 12 conference of the parties will contribute to the implementation of the present convention including studies concerning standards for appropriate preparation and shipment of living specimen and the means to identifying specimen . CITES as an international body works closely with other groups on issues that need multidisciplinary expertise. Some of which include the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, the Convention of Migratory Species, the UNESCO world heritage Convention

19. Challenges 1/2 With 183 nations participating, CITES is one of the most important international conservation agreements. Relatively few species out of tens of thousands of species that are listed under Appendices I and II over the past 35 years have become extinct in the wild. Despite its success and high participation rate, CITES still has critics. Some critics assert that CITES often undermines its own conservation efforts in three major ways. First, placing a particular species of flora or fauna on Appendix I or II can lead to an increase in its value on the black market . An increase in value results in increased poaching and illegal sale of that species Eg. Shark fin.

20. Challenges 2/2 Second, critics assert that split grouping of a species may lead to laundering of plants and animals. Split grouping occurs when a species is placed on Appendix I in one country and Appendix II in another country. An animal captured or killed in the Appendix I country may then be taken to the Appendix II country for sale on the international market CITES only addresses the trade of endangered species and does not address loss of habitat or other issues that may lead to extinction.

21. Responsibilities of Parties 1/4 CITES requires individual countries to adopt their own laws and enforcement mechanisms to prevent the trade of endangered species of flora and fauna and penalties for those who trade in endangered species According to article 8, parties shall make provisions to provide for the confiscation or return to the state of export of such specimen.

22. Responsibilities of Parties 2/4 As far as possible, ensure that specimen shall pass through every formalities required for trade with a minimum of delay. To ensure this, parties may designate ports of exit and ports of entry at which specimens must be presented for clearance . Ensure further that all living specimen during any period of transit, holding or shipment are properly cared for so as to minimize the risk of injury, damage to health or cruel treatment.

23. Responsibilities of Parties 3/4 According to article 8 parties shall: M aintain records of trade in specimens of species included in Appendices I, II and III which shall cover the names and addresses of exporters and importer Also make sure permits and certificates are provided by exporters. The size and sex of specimen are to be recorded.

24. Responsibilities of Parties 4 /4 P repare periodic reports on its implementation of the present convention and shall transmit to the secretariat the annual report containing summary of the information specified in this article. S ubmit a report on legislative, regulatory and administrative measures taken to enforce the provisions of the present convention.

25. Benefit to Parties Building capacity for activities in key areas, such as effective of States in responsibilities, monitoring, control and surveillance, data collection and scientific research relevant threatened or endangered species national and/or a regional level The least developed parties benefits from the trainings, facilities and equipment provided. Signatories enjoy assistance from other parties in combating illegal trade and over exploitation Information and Intelligence sharing on wildlife trade. Species based interagency support eg FAO-CITES (Cornick and Kendal, 2008)

26. Current issues Research in new tools to help parties trace sources of some endangered species in order to promote responsible trade and better GATT tariffs Currently CITES is creating an initiative to improve regulation of trade in captive-raised animals and artificially propagated plants Also CITES is organizing international technical workshop for the protection of eels to be held in London, UK

27. Conclusion Participation in CITES is voluntary, but once a nation becomes a party to CITES, that nation is legally bound under the convention to help conserve, sustain and ensure proper trade ethics of wildlife species. Also it helps issues concerning the use of technology in monitoring, developmental discussions and benefit-sharing . CITES help set policies and general responsibilities, and organizes technical and financial cooperation. Implementation of the convention, however, is required at the national level. Therefore individual countries have to find a better way of combating issues with illegal trade practices

28. References Abido and May (2010). Illegal Trade in Marine Mammals in Japan. Journal of management , Access, and Conservation of Species in Trade. Cornick and Saxon-Kendall, L. (2008). Distribution, Habitat Use and Behavior of Cook Inlet Beluga Whales in Knik Arm, Fall. Funk DW, TM Markowitz, R Rodrigues. (2005). Baseline studies of beluga whale habitat use in Knik Arm, Upper Cook Inlet, Alaska Prevel Ramos AP, TM Markowitz, DW Funk, MR Link .( 2006). Monitoring beluga sharks at the Port of Anchorage

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