CITES
Secretary-General Calls on Airlines to Reconsider Boycotts of
Wildlife Shipments
Geneva, 4
May 2001 Boycotts by airline companies of shipments containing legally
traded wild animals strike against the interests of the animals themselves and
of poor people in developing countries, Willem Wijnstekers, Secretary-General
of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species said today. In
addition, they do nothing to promote conservation and are thus
counter-productive.
Reacting to Tuesday’s
announcement by Lufthansa that it will no longer transport animals captured in
the wild for commercial purposes, Mr. Wijnstekers pointed out that the
economies and rural communities of many developing countries are highly
dependent on natural resources, including wildlife.
“Sustainable trade in wild
animals and plants represents a legitimate and vital economic interest for
developing countries,” he said. “The 153 member governments of CITES have
agreed to a strict set of rules for ensuring that this trade is conducted in a
way that does not endanger the species involved and that gives poor communities
an economic stake in protecting the wildlife that they live with on a daily
basis.”
According to Wijnstekers, a
trend toward bans would undermine both animal welfare and conservation efforts
by pushing shipments onto second-tier airlines and charters, where conditions
may be worse and flight times longer. When trade is conducted by quality
commercial airlines, the Live Animal Regulations set down by the International
Air Transport Association (IATA) specifying ventilation, space, packing,
feeding and other conditions minimize the animals’ discomfort.
Where these guidelines are not
implemented or are proven to be insufficient, IATA and CITES are required to
take steps to improve the situation. However, as studies in a number of
European countries have shown, air transport mortality rates are in fact low.
“Photographs of dead and
suffering animals that have been smuggled via airlines or ships are distressing
and shocking,” said Mr. Wijnstekers. “But this illegal trade should not be
confused with the regulated shipments that are now being barred from leading
airlines.”
CITES was adopted in 1973 in
response to concerns about the overexploitation of many vulnerable species as a
result of unregulated international trade. The Convention gives producer and
consumer countries joint responsibility for managing wildlife sustainably and
preventing illegal trade.
CITES prohibits commercial
international trade (and regulates non-commercial trade) in plant and animal
species that are threatened with extinction and that are or may be affected by
trade. These species are listed in Appendix I, which includes the snow leopard,
the tiger, and other big cats; many rare primates such as the chimpanzee and
the gorilla; almost all large parrots; most crocodiles; all sea turtles;
slipper orchids and many cacti in total about 800 species.
The Convention uses a system of
permits to ensure that international trade is sustainable for many species that
are not threatened with extinction but could become so if trade were not
strictly regulated. These species are listed in Appendix II, which includes all
other big cats, primates, cetaceans, parrots, crocodiles, cacti and orchids,
plus several carnivorous plants in total about 30,000 species. To obtain the
necessary permits for export, it must be shown that trade is not detrimental to
the long-term survival of the species.
A third Appendix includes
species subject to regulation within a particular country and for which the
cooperation of other member countries is sought to help regulate trade.
As trade impacts and population
levels change, animal or plant species can be added to the CITES Appendices,
deleted from them, or transferred from one Appendix to another. These decisions
are to be based on the best biological information available and the likely
effectiveness of different types of regulation.
Danielle Dubois-Marie
Information Unit for Conventions/UNEP
15 chemin des anémones
1219 Châtelaine-Genève
Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 917 8196/8244
Fax: +41 22 797 34 64