Photo: Supplied
Fifteen Southern African Development Community (SADC) states have expressed their “grave concern” with the implementation of a wildlife trade treaty they say is undermining their efforts to secure social and environmental justice through the sustainable use of the region’s natural resources.
The time has come to “seriously consider whether there are any meaningful benefits” from their membership to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites), the countries said.
This agreement, which came into force nearly 50 years ago, aims to ensure that international trade in wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of the more than 38 000 species under its protection.
At its 19th Conference of the Parties (COP19) in Panama this month, a proposal by Zimbabwe that would allow it, together with Botswana, Namibia and South Africa — home to about 265 000 elephants — to resume the international commercial trade in ivory of government-owned stockpiles to fund elephant conservation, was rejected by most member states. A bid by eSwatini to sell its stockpile of rhino horn was similarly defeated.
‘Anti-trade’
The way Cites operates is contrary to its founding principles, said a statement delivered at the closing plenary on Friday by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on behalf of Angola, Botswana, Comores, eSwatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
“Today Cites discards proven, working conservation models in favour of ideologically driven anti-use and anti-trade models … This anti-sustainable use and anti-trade ideology now dominates decisions made by many states who are party to Cites … The result has been failure to adopt progressive, equitable, inclusive and science-based conservation strategies,” read the statement. “[It is] influenced by “protectionist NGOs whose ideological position has no basis in science or experience and is not shared in any way by the member state of SADC and their people.”
Emotive rhetoric
This conservation model, they said, is based on “entrenched and emotive rhetoric and discourse” backed up by intense lobbying by NGOs, as opposed to science.
“Foremost among these ideas now dominating Cites is the unfounded belief that all trade fuels illegal, unsustainable trade, ignoring clear evidence to the contrary. Examples of this are the attempts by others to impose new trade restrictions for species that are effectively conserved — and used — in our states, such as hippo, leopard, wood lumber [and] elephant while the real threats in those states where such species are in decline due to habitat loss and human wildlife conflict continue to go unattended.”
They said the numbers of these species in the region illustrate the effectiveness of their conservation models.
“Those who bear no cost of protecting our wildlife, nor bear any consequence for decisions of Cites on our species, vote without any accountability against working conservation models in southern Africa,” said the statement.
‘Undermining wildlife economy’
By restricting wildlife trade, not listening to local people and not empowering those countries that are conserving wildlife, the Cites COP decisions are undermining the African wildlife economy, “ said Roseline Mandisodza-Chikerema, a chief ecologist at Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority and a fellow of the African Wildlife Economy Institute at Stellenbosch University.
She added that the growing elephant population was proof that these countries are doing something right and a regulated trade that supports the wildlife economies was required.
Mandisodza-Chikerema said the trade in wildlife and wildlife products would provide revenue to support conservation and would sustain livelihoods.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare said Cites member governments’ rejection of proposals to reopen international trade in ivory and rhino horn is “good news for elephants and rhino”. Any legal trade provides opportunities for criminals to launder poached elephant tusks and rhino horns into the market, it said, noting that similar proposals have been repeatedly rejected by governments in previous Cites conferences.
“It is clear there is no appetite for reopening these dangerous trades,” said Matthew Collis, the fund’s deputy vice-president for conservation. “Instead, the international community must find innovative new ways to generate income for conservation without exposing animals to being poached.”
Rhino proposal accepted
Tanya Sanerib, international legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity, a non-profit conservation organisation said: “I’m thankful Cites countries didn’t re-open the bloody ivory and rhino horn trades.
A majority of Cites members accepted a proposal from Namibia to move their white rhinos from Appendix I, which safeguards species at risk of extinction where trade is allowed only under exceptional circumstances, to Appendix II. It lists species that are not threatened with extinction, but for which trade might affect their survival.
This change relates only to the sale of live animals that must be kept within the natural and historic range of southern and northern subspecies of white rhinos in Africa.
Sanerib said: “The convention also allowed Namibia to relax white rhino trade controls for live animals within their natural range, putting rhinos at greater risk.”
Jo Shaw, African rhino lead at WWF-South Africa said the decision will encourage rhino conservation in Namibia, which has been successful in protecting its rhino populations and creating multi-agency law enforcement teams to address the illegal trafficking of rhino horn. “It also makes more rhinos available for range expansion, which is a proven conservation tool for the recovery of both white and black rhino numbers across the continent.”
Greater protection for sharks
In a landmark decision to regulate the unsustainable shark fin and meat trade that is pushing many species to the brink of extinction, 54 species of requiem sharks, six species of hammerhead sharks and 37 species of guitarfish have been included on Appendix II.
This means about 90% of all internationally traded species can now only be traded if their stocks are not endangered, compared to only 20% before the start of COP19.
Luke Warwick, the director of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s shark and ray programme, said the decision had turned the tide to prevent the extinction of the world’s sharks and rays.
“This landmark listing of about 100 heavily traded species will drive the adoption of the country level conservation action these species urgently need. The crucial next step will be to implement these listings, and ensure they result in stronger fisheries management and trade measures as soon as possible.”
Record decisions
Cites said representatives of more than 160 governments had reaffirmed their commitment to address the biodiversity crisis by adopting proposals to regulate international trade in more than 500 new species. The meeting adopted a total of 46 proposals of the 52 put forward.
“The new species that will be listed on Cites and their international trade consequently regulated, include nearly 100 species of sharks and rays, more than 150 tree species, 160 amphibian species, including tropical frogs, 50 turtle and tortoise species and several species of songbirds. All these species have seen declines in their populations over recent years,” it said.
COP19 reached a record number of 365 decisions as they worked to safeguard threatened wildlife species, while allowing the international trade that “underpins human well-being” and contributes to conservation efforts, it said. “The decisions will shape Cites’ work for the years to come.”
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