International Environmental Law Project (IELP) Goes to CITES

NOVEMBER 6, 2002

Santiago, Chile

Today, delegates met in two different committees throughout the day. In Committee I, which tends to deal more with species proposals, the draft decision presented by the U.S. on sea cucumbers was endorsed. This decision asked the Secretariat to hold a technical workshop and prepare a discussion paper on the conservation and trade status of two families of sea cucumbers.

Also in Committee I, delegates endorsed the Secretariat´s draft decision on Hawksbill Turtles, which includes references to sustainable use. In Committee II, Norway presented its paper on sustainable use and trade in CITES species, and a working group was established to discuss the issue further. Another working group on issues relating to the implementation of the convention was also established. Working groups seem to be a common technique for dealing with difficult issues at the meeting, and it will be interesting to see how effective these working groups are in bridging the differing perspectives of Parties.

Probably the most interesting discussion of the day dealt with documents introduced by the Secretariat on economic incentives and trade policy. The Secretariat´s draft decision recommending a workshop and resolution on the issue was endorsed by the delegates. However, there was much debate about the Secretariat´s draft resolution, which recommended the use of domestic economic incentives and the removal of incentives that are detrimental to CITES, and proposed avoiding domestic restrictions on trade that are stricter than CITES. The discussion on both sides of this issue was fairly heated, and Professor Wold pointed out to delegates the importance of clarifying the resolution´s language on stricter domestic measures. Some amendments to the resolution were endorsed, and a revised document will be distributed to delegates tomorrow for further discussion.

There were also several interesting side events to attend today. Over (free!) lunch, the Species Survival Network hosted briefings on elephants (in conjunction with the Kenyan delegation) and on Whale and Basking Sharks.

We also attended the U.S. Delegation´s briefing for NGOs, where U.S. delegates provided their perspective on the day´s events and took questions from NGOs. In the evening, Species Survival Network and the African Environmental Film Foundation held a reception and screening of the Foundation´s film, "Wanted Dead or Alive?" This amazing film portrayed the role of the African Elephant in the economics, ecology, and security of East Africa, and showed the threats posed to both the animals and people of East Africa from a renewed international trade in ivory (we picked up a DVD copy of the film if anyone is interested in watching it). Following the film, awards were presented to law enforcement officials that have been instrumental in combatting wildlife crime.

Submitted by Jennifer Amiott

Links

CITES Secretariat
Twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP12)