11 Nov 2008
- Beijing, China: The consumption of threatened species
is on the rise in China again following a brief hiatus
owing to fears surrounding the SARS virus in 2003.
A survey of five southern Chinese cities
by TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, found
that 13 of 25 markets and 20 of 50 restaurants had wild
animals for sale. A total of 56 species were found and,
of these, eight are protected under Chinese law and 17
are protected under CITES, which prohibits or strictly
controls international trade.
The majority of illegal wild animal
trade was in freshwater turtles and snakes. In China,
freshwater turtles and snakes are sold mostly for their
meat and for medicinal purposes.
The findings are included in the TRAFFIC
report entitled The State of Wildlife Trade in China in
2007, published today. Also found by the report is the
fact that Chinese traditional medicine trade is growing
rapidly and that China is the world’s second largest wood
importer.
“The report examines the impact China’s
consumption is having on biodiversity and what emerging
trends there are in wildlife trade,” said Professor Xu
Hongfa, co-ordinator of TRAFFIC’s China Programme.
The report notes that that while Russia
is currently the top supplier of wood to China, Africa
increasingly accounts for a growing percentage which is
stimulating illegal timber trade in Africa.
“Chinese companies buying African timber
must ensure the benefits of the timber trade are equitably
shared, right down to the African rural communities on
whose land the trees are growing,” said Professor Xu.
Chinese traditional medicine trade has
grown at an annual rate of 10 per cent since 2003. Most
exports ($687 million-worth) go to Asia, but Europe ($162
million) and North America ($144 million) are increasingly
important markets.
Over-harvesting and poor management
of resources are looming threats, and currently there
are no standards to ensure the sustainable collection
of wild medicinal plants.
“The trends seen in this report that
show increasing demand in wildlife products and diminishing
supply should be a wake-up call for law enforcement, policy
makers and consumers,” said Dr. Susan Lieberman, Director
of WWF International’s Species Programme.
“We call upon Chinese authorities to
enhance enforcement and public education efforts, to stop
illegal trade and reduce consumption of threatened species
from around the world.”
One bright spot for China is the fact
that the illegal ivory trade is declining. The report
found that the situation has improved since a year earlier,
with surveys showing a substantial reduction in the number
of outlets selling ivory illegally.
“The reduction in the illegal ivory
trade is very welcome, but we urge the authorities to
remain vigilant, particularly to ensure there is no laundering
of illegal ivory,” said Professor Xu.
The report is the second in an annual
series on emerging trends in China’s wildlife trade, and
provides up-to-date reviews of work being carried out
to prevent illegal and support sustainable trade in China.
Other issues examined in the report
include the illegal trade in musk, the link between the
sea cucumber trade to Taiwan with marine biodiversity
in the Galapagos, and links between Russian salmon fisheries
and Chinese markets.
+ More
EU and Norway in cod stalemate
10 Nov 2008 - Brussels, Belgium: An
impasse between Norway and the European Union today has
put the recovery of North Sea cod stocks at further risk.
Unable to reach an agreement with Norway,
with which the EU co-manages North Sea waters, the European
Commission could not issue a recommendation for quotas
of most stocks of North Sea cod when it presented its
annual recommendations for 2009 North-East Atlantic fisheries
quotas.
Aaron McLoughlin, Head of WWF’s European
Marine Programme said: “It is disappointing that the European
Commission could not set out clear recommendations for
North Sea cod stocks, whose recovery currently hangs in
the balance.
“Every year thousands of tonnes of North
Sea cod is needlessly thrown overboard, making a mockery
of the whole quota system. As Norway is pushing for the
EU to implement tougher discard measures, we hope that
this delay in issuing recommendations means that the Commission
is seeking a solution to the issue of discards.”
WWF believes cod stocks will only be
preserved through the mandatory implementation of technical
measures, including the use of more selective fishing
gear to avoid catching cod in the first place, and the
avoidance of fishing in areas with large concentrations
of cod to enable the species to recover.
“Now Norway has an opportunity to drive
a deal on tackling discards through its negotiations with
the EU over fishing rights in the North Sea,” said McLoughlin.
“Last year the EU agreed to cut their huge discards to
10 per cent and WWF are calling on Europe’s fisheries
ministers to honour that commitment.”
WWF did welcome proposals to reduce
fishing effort for North Sea sole and shrimp. The final
decision on today's proposals will be made by EU Fisheries
Ministers at the Council meeting on 17-19 December in
Brussels.
