11 Jun 2007 - The Hague,
The Netherlands – The future of the European
eel looks brighter after government representatives
attending a meeting of the UN international
wildlife convention, CITES, accepted a proposal
from the European Union to list this fish
species on Appendix II of the convention.
Appendix II allows trade in a species under
strict conditions.
“Today’s decision is good news for the
European eel and a major conservation achievement,”
said Stéphane Ringuet, of TRAFFIC,
the wildlife monitoring network.
“The success of the EU proposal will help
ensure that use and trade of this species
are well-managed and legal, which is essential
to its survival.”
According to WWF and TRAFFIC, populations
of the European eel have declined throughout
most of the species’ distribution area and
are now threatened.
Eels are overexploited for their meat,
which is consumed mostly in Europe and parts
of East Asia. Human impacts are also reducing
and polluting their habitat, such as lakes,
rivers and estuaries.
“It is vital that European countries, but
also countries where the eel occurs such
as North African countries, take urgent
measures to tackle all the environmental
problems leading to the decline of the species,”
Ringuet added.
Illegal trade involving organized criminal
gangs, especially in southern Europe, and
significant international trade of live
young eels from Europe to Asia (particularly
China and Japan) for aquaculture, are additional
concerns for this species, previous TRAFFIC
reports have shown.
European eels, a long-lived, large body-sized
fish, spend most of their life in freshwater
but adults migrate to the Sargasso Sea,
in the Atlantic Ocean, to breed. It takes
them about one year for young eels to return
to Europe.
Richard Thomas, Communications Coordinator
TRAFFIC International
Joanna Benn, Communications Manager
WWF Global Species Programme
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CITES: Tropical tree left stranded
07 Jun 2007 - The Hague, The Netherlands
– On the fourth day of the CITES Conference,
the European Union withdrew its proposal
to include Cedrela, a group of tropical
trees species found in Latin America, in
CITES Appendix II, which allows trade in
a species under strict conditions.
The move came after all Latin American
and Caribbean countries — supported by some
African states and Canada — expressed their
strong opposition to the timber proposal
submitted by Germany on behalf of the EU.
WWF and TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring
network, criticized the widespread lack
of support for the proposal and feel that
a golden opportunity was missed to ensure
better management and measures to control
trade of a threatened species.
“It is a shame how this opportunity was
missed,” said Ximena Barrera, from WWF Colombia.
“We lost a decade of conservation action
for another tropical tree, big-leaf mahogany,
because it took ten years to include it
on CITES Appendix II. As a result, this
species is now on the verge of commercial
extinction. The same is likely to happen
with Cedrela if the current exploitation
levels continue.”
There are several species of Cedrela in
Latin America and the Caribbean but all
are heavily exploited for their timber,
mainly for furniture and light building
work. One of them, Cedrela odorata, is particularly
threatened by loss of habitat and overexploitation,
including in protected areas and indigenous
territories.
Cedrela populations have seriously declined
in all countries where it is originally
found. Illegal logging and trade are the
main drivers behind this trend.
Several countries in Latin America could
now voluntarily include their Cedrela in
CITES Appendix III. Should this happen it
would not be enough, WWF and TRAFFIC say.
“Appendix III would be clearly insufficient
to address the current levels of exploitation
of Cedrela,” said Bernardo Ortiz, Head of
TRAFFIC South America. “By delaying listing
in Appendix II, governments are just jeopardizing
the future of another tree species.”
Joanna Benn, Communications Manager
WWF Global Species Programme
Olivier van Bogaert, Senior Press Officer
WWF International
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CITES: Trade restrictions approved for
endangered rays
11 Jun 2007 - The Hague, The Netherlands
– Trade restrictions have been approved
for critically endangered sawfish, large
rays related to sharks.
Delegates attending a meeting of the Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species
(CITES)approved all seven sawfish species
in Appendix I of the convention, banning
all international commercial trade.
One species found in Australia was included
in Appendix II, but only to allow trade
in live animals to public aquaria for conservation
purposes only.
Sawfish are traded for their fins, meat,
unique toothed rostra (snouts), and as live
animals for exhibition.
Their distinctive saw-like snouts are sold
as souvenirs, curios and ceremonial weapons,
while other body parts such as skin, liver
oil and bile are used in traditional medicines.
“We are relieved that international trade
pressure will be lifted for these critically
endangered species,” said Steven Broad,
Director of TRAFFIC. “Trade, along with
fishing pressure, was pushing them towards
extinction.”
CITES Parties defeated proposals last week
to list two shark species in CITES Appendix
II, which would have allowed international
trade with required stricter regulation
to ensure trade is sustainable.
“The sawfish have disappeared from waters
stretching from the east coast of the US
to South-east Asia,” said Dr Susan Lieberman,
Director of WWF’s Global Species Programme.
“This is a positive action today but it
is a pity that the CITES Parties are only
able to throw a lifeline to shark species
when they are on the brink of extinction”.
Richard Thomas, Communications Coordinator
TRAFFIC International
Joanna Benn, Communications Manager
WWF Global Species Programme
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International wildlife convention failing
sharks
08 Jun 2007 - The Hague, The Netherlands
– Two shark species highly prized for their
meat and fins have not gained trade protection
under CITES, the Convention for International
Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna
and Flora.
The porbeagle shark is principally used
for fresh, frozen and dried-salted meat
across Europe. Spiny dogfish is used in
fish and chips in the UK, where it is often
called “rock salmon” or “huss”, and as a
smoked meat delicacy in Germany, called
schillerlocken.
“We are seeing massive global shark declines
primarily due to current unsustainable levels
of fishing, and international trade is a
major contributing factor,” said Cliona
O’Brien of WWF’s Global Species Programme.
Both shark proposals had been submitted
by Germany on behalf of the European Union
for an Appendix II CITES listing, but discussions
at the CITES meeting today rejected the
proposals. Although a majority of member
countries supported the proposals, they
were defeated by a blocking minority.
“The failure to list spiny dogfish and
porbeagle on Appendix II is a shameful triumph
of politics over conservation,” said O’Brien.
“We needed action, not procrastination.”
The international trade of porbeagle and
spiny dogfish sharks is not controlled.
As a result, populations have dramatically
declined in the North Atlantic — by up to
95 per cent for the spiny dogfish and 89
per cent for the porbeagle, in the last
ten and 40 years respectively.
“If CITES discards this opportunity, it
may be the end of the line for these two
sharks and a fatal recipe for some of the
favourite seafood dishes of European consumers,”
said Steven Broad, Director of TRAFFIC,
the wildlife trade monitoring network.
Three-quarters of the world’s commercial
fish stocks are already over-exploited,
fished right up to their limit or recovering
from collapse.
Scientists recently discovered that 90
per cent of big predatory fish, such as
sharks, have been stripped from the oceans
by industrialized fishing vessels.
• The porbeagle shark is a powerful, medium-sized,
highly migratory shark. There is international
demand for, and trade, in its high-value
meat and fins. It is also used in fertilizer.
• Spiny dogfish is a slender, smaller sized
white-spotted shark that grows to about
one metre long and travels in schools. It
is found in cool, coastal waters worldwide.
Joanna Benn, Communications Manager
WWF Global Species Programme
Olivier van Bogaert, Senior Press Officer
WWF International
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Global push to tackle international wildlife
crime
06 Jun 2007 - The Hague, The Netherlands
– The European Commission has unveiled an
Action Plan to improve wildlife trade enforcement
within the European Union and in countries
where the trade originates.
The announcement was made during a UK government-sponsored
event held in collaboration with TRAFFIC,
the wildlife trade monitoring network, during
the current meeting of CITES in The Hague.
Lucy Swan, Chair of the EU CITES Enforcement
Group commented: “Giving high priority to
CITES enforcement is crucial to combating
illegal trade. This EU Action Plan demonstrates
the EU’s commitment to effective enforcement.”
The plan will help strengthen implementation
and enforcement of legislation in EU Member
States.
Crucially, there will be support for enforcement
efforts in producer countries, including
capacity building on law enforcement, and
increasing awareness of illegal wildlife
trade. It marks the latest step in a global
approach to tackling wildlife crime adopted
by the at the previous meeting of CITES,
in 2004.
There is a huge and escalating demand in
EU Member States for exotic pets, tropical
timber and other wildlife products sourced
outside its borders. In 2005, the legal
trade in wildlife products into the EU was
conservatively estimated by TRAFFIC as worth
Euro 93 billion.
The action plan builds on existing initiatives
to combat the increasing illegal wildlife
trade fuelled by the growing demand in the
EU. These include EU TWIX (Trade in Wildlife
Information eXchange), an EU enforcers’
intranet for exchanging information on wildlife
seizures across all 27 Member States, ASEAN-WEN,
a Wildlife Enforcement Network between South-east
Asian nations and CAWT (Coalition Against
Wildlife Trafficking), a US government-led
partnership of NGOs and governments aimed
at tackling international wildlife crime.
Adisorn Noochdumrong, a representative
of ASEAN-WEN commented: “The EU Action Plan
and ASEAN-WEN present common approaches
to international enforcement networking
– we look forward to this excellent opportunity
for inter-regional cooperation.”
Editor's Notes:
• TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring
network, works to ensure that trade in wild
plants and animals is not a threat to the
conservation of nature. TRAFFIC is a joint
programme of WWF and IUCN – The World Conservation
Union.
• http://www.eu-wildlifetrade.org provides
up-to-date information in 20 EU languages
aimed at the commercial wildlife trade sector
and the general public on various aspects
of wildlife trade in the EU.
• CITES, the Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna
and Flora, is an international agreement
that regulates global wildlife trade. At
this year’s meeting, governments are discussing
changes to the list of species protected
under the convention, as well as other aspects
of implementation of the treaty and controls
on wildlife trade.
• In December 2006, EU Environment Ministers
formally acknowledged the need for EU assistance
in promoting the conservation and sustainable
use of wildlife in developing countries
and effective implementation of the CITES
Convention. (Council Conclusions, 2773rd
meeting of the Council of the European Union,
18th December 2006).
Joanna Benn, Communications Manager
WWF Global Species Programme
