The CITES conference CoP19 in Panama ended at the weekend. Some species will benefit from the decisions there, conservationists believe. In other areas, results fell short of expectations. A conclusion from Dr. Arnulf Köhncke, Head of Species Conservation at WWF Germany, for natur.
Nature is like a tower in which each building block represents the individuals of a species of animal or plant. The more stones are knocked out of the tower, i.e. the more animals and plants disappear, the more unstable it becomes. At the moment the tower is shaking violently, we are in the middle of the worst mass extinction since the end of the dinosaur age. At the height of this species crisis so far, there is good news from the CITES conference that ended in Panama last weekend. Better protection of many endangered animal and plant species from overexploitation was decided there: The conference was a complete success, especially for marine animals, as around 90 percent of all internationally traded shark and ray species may only be traded if their stocks are not endangered as a result. In addition, tropical tree species, songbirds, glass frogs and sea cucumbers will be better protected from the negative effects of international trade in the future.
Success with cartilaginous fish and pachyderms
CITES stands for Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and is known in Germany as the Washington Species Protection Agreement. This convention has regulated international trade in endangered animal and plant species since 1973. This is badly needed because overexploitation, including excessive legal and illegal trade in things like turtle shells, elephant ivory, and exotic frogs, is the second-biggest driver of species extinction. This can be seen in concrete terms with sharks and rays, for example: A third of the cartilaginous fish are threatened mainly by overfishing in their stocks. Or with elephants in Africa: African savanna elephants are highly endangered, forest elephants are even threatened with extinction – in some regions their populations have declined by up to 80 percent. Poaching is one of the main reasons for the loss of elephants: 20,000 elephants fall victim to poachers in Africa every year.
The CITES conference has now put its foot down on some of these species: 54 species of ground sharks, six species of hammerhead sharks and 37 species of guitarfish have been included on CITES Appendix II. In the future, international trade in them will only be permitted if the stocks of sharks and rays are not endangered. A historic decision from which all life under water benefits. Because sharks and rays are indispensable key species: They keep the ecosystems in the sea intact and ensure healthy fish stocks, which are the basis of food for millions of people.
For the further protection of pachyderms, the CITES contracting states decided in relation to elephant ivory and rhino horn. Trading in it remains prohibited. In addition, elephants from southern Africa do not have to be subject to stricter trade regulations, as some countries are calling for, because commercial trade in their ivory is already internationally banned. Countless other species such as pangolins, jaguars, cumaru trees and sea cucumbers will also be better protected in the future.
Not enough anti-poaching measures
But there were also disappointing results at CoP19. No concrete and time-bound measures against illegal tiger trade and poaching were decided, which means that the status quo will probably not change much in the near future. And that is questionable: although the commercial trade in tigers is completely forbidden internationally, at least 150 tigers per year end up on the black market as luxury goods, bedside rugs, amulets or supposed medicine. Although other species will be more heavily regulated in trade in the future, protection against overexploitation will only come into effect at a very late stage. Trade regulations were passed for international trade in numerous luxury timbers from the tropical forests of Africa, Asia and America, as well as for songbirds from Southeast Asia. However, the rules will only take effect in up to 24 months. That's a long time for the dwindling stocks, and there's a risk of deadweight losses that are destructive to biodiversity. That would be fatal, because targeted felling of large luxury trees also endangers the integrity of entire forest ecosystems.
But even with minor failures, it can be said that the CITES conference sent a clear signal for the protection of biodiversity from overexploitation. She has made the tower of life a bit more stable against this threat. This is a remarkable achievement at a time when international diplomacy appears to be in crisis and humanity is decimating biodiversity faster than ever before. And we urgently need that after the disappointing climate conference and almost two weeks before the very important world conference on nature in Montreal - so that we can make further important progress there in stopping the species crisis.