David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation

The international trade in wild animals and plants is worth billions of dollars every year, and is having a serious impact on species survival. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) is a United Nations international agreement between governments, providing varying levels of protection for species that are, or may be, in danger of extinction from international trade. 175 member countries meet every three years for the CITES Conference of Parties (CoP) to debate trade Proposals by its member parties. CITES places 'at-risk' species in two main categories: Appendix I imposes a commercial trade ban and Appendix II monitors and regulates trade.

Endangered wildlife trade is a low priority for many governments. But without CITES, it would be a free-for-all. Many mechanisms have been developed under the treaty to combat illegal wildlife trade and to persuade countries to comply with controls such as bans on commercial trade in rhino horn, tiger parts and elephant ivory (the compliance system). These mechanisms are not perfect, but they are better than nothing. Currently they are under threat from lack of funding and forces within CITES trying to re-write the compliance system and prevent the use of trade sanctions when countries fail to comply with the treaty. DSWF is working to strengthen compliance and enforcement.

Other issues that have been of particular interest are the continued controversial decisions to allow one-off trade sales in ivory, which DSWF opposes and tries hard to minimise the detrimental impact on elephants, particularly in poorer range states. DSWF also focuses on other specific species proposals as and when appropriate (relating to wildlife trade, the status of species and their protection).

The elephant is a prime example of a species that has directly benefited from being listed on CITES Appendix 1, banning any trade. Between 1979 and 1989, more than 600,000 African elephants were slaughtered for their ivory, reducing the population by half. In 1989 the African elephant was given the highest level of protection under CITES, and an international ban on the trade in ivory put in place. However, in the last few years, with some African range states being granted one-off ivory sales, it has sent the message to traders and poachers that the trade is once again open and poaching has increased significantly. With its partners from Species Survival Network (SSN – a coalition of wildlife organisations working within the CITES framework to reduce the impact of international trade on wild fauna and flora) DSWF continues to lobby against any re-opening of the ivory trade, calling for a 20 year moratorium on ivory trading.