Wildlife Treaty Parties Meet in Thailand

December 2004

The 13^th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES COP-13) was held in Bangkok, Thailand, from 2 to 14 October 2004. CITES is a treaty designed to protect wildlife from trade-related extinction or depletion. It does not work to end the trade in live wildlife or products derived from wildlife.

How CITES works

CITES operates through the listing of species on two main appendices. Appendix I includes,
All species threatened with extinction which are or may be affected by trade... Trade in specimens of these species must be subject to particularly strict regulation in order not to endanger further their survival and must only be authorized in exceptional circumstances.

Appendix II includes,
All species which although not necessarily now threatened with extinction may become so unless trade in specimens of such species is subject to strict regulation in order to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival.

Appendix II may also list "look-alike" species that resemble listed species.

Huge crowds attend COP-13

Around 2,000 people attended the conference, including delegations from over 150 governments. In addition observers from trade lobbies and wildlife protection organizations attended. IPPL was represented by Shirley McGreal, IPPL founder, Dianne Taylor-Snow, IPPL Secretary, and Louis Ng, IPPL’s Singapore Representative.

The conference was held in a huge hall at the Queen Sirikit Convention Center. The hall was extremely large; most attendees could not see the speakers’ tables and viewed the proceedings on giant TV screens.

Problems facing delegates and observers

In a change from past programs, voting was conducted electronically by pushing buttons marked, "Yes," "No," and "Abstain." Because of suspicion of this technique, delegates also lifted their voting cards unless a "secret ballot" was under way.

The "secret ballot" has been allowed at CITES conferences for many years and is often requested by pro-trade government delegations, most notably Japan. Some countries, including the United States, always announce publicly how they vote on secret ballots in the interests of "transparency."

Another change in procedures was that, unlike at all previous conferences, delegates were not given conference documents prior to the meeting. Bags containing empty binders were handed out from the registration desk! Before leaving their homelands for Thailand, delegates were expected to have printed out the conference documents from the CITES web site for study. Unfortunately many delegates came empty-handed and totally unprepared for the deliberations. This was in part because the governments of many developing nations do not have the equipment to print out hundreds of pages of documents.

Further confusion and frustration was added because the "List of Participants" was not distributed until the next to the last day of the conference. In contrast, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN, also known as the World Conservation Union) which met in Bangkok in late November 2004, lists all participants and their contact details on its Web site as soon as they register. This greatly facilitates networking by conference attendees prior to and during the conference.

Opening speeches

The first day of the meeting was taken up by the opening ceremony. Khun Thaksin Shinawatra, Prime Minister of Thailand, officially opened the conference. Khun Thaksin called for a Southeast Asian Task Force to handle illegal wildlife trade issues. To many attendees this seemed an irony since a Thai theme park had recently been in the news for amassing a collection of around 140 orangutans, all or most smuggled into Thailand from Indonesia. Other speakers included Khun Suvit Khunkitti, Thailand’s Minister of Natural Resources and Environment; Dr. Klaus Töpfer Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP); and Mr. Willem Wijnstekers, CITES Secretary-General.

The opening plenary session

On Sunday 3 October a plenary session took place during which administrative matters such as voting procedures, the rules of procedure, the agenda, and the admission of observers were discussed. Eleven official inter-governmental organizations were approved, including the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Food and Agricultural Organization, and the International Whaling Commission. Approval was given for the attendance of 139 non-governmental organizations. In the afternoon, delegates convened in regional groups to discuss agenda items of interest to them.

Committees I and II

On Monday delegates and observers went to work in either Committee I or Committee II. The committees worked hard on their agendas until the final plenary sessions. There were even some evening sessions. Committee I focused mainly on agenda items relating to species. Committee II addressed budgetary matters, including financial reports and technical issues regarding treaty implementation and enforcement.

Most delegations consisted of at least two members and had at least one person on each committee. Countries like the United States and Japan had over 30 delegates present.

Mammal proposals

Swaziland proposed to downlist its population of Southern white rhinoceros from Appendix I to Appendix II so that it could allow trophy hunting and export of animals. The country’s rhino population currently numbers just sixty-one animals. To the amazement of many, this proposal was approved.

Kenya withdrew its proposal to transfer the African lion, a species in decline over much of its range, from Appendix II to Appendix I. The Southern African nations opposed the proposal as these nations wish to facilitate sport hunting of lions.

Namibia’s proposal to increase its annual export quota of leopard hunting trophies and skins from 100 to 250 animals was approved. South Africa proposed to increase its annual leopard trophy export quota from 75 to 150. This was also approved.

Namibian and South African proposals for hunting quotas of five adult male black rhinos were both approved. According to the IUCN African Rhino Specialist Group,

The black rhino suffered a drastic decline from about 65,000 in the 1970s to only 2,400 in the mid 1990s. The latest findings show black rhino numbers have increased to just over 3,600, a rise of 500 over the last two years.

Unfortunately there are people in the world who would pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to blast away at animals who somehow survived decades of slaughter by poachers, just to exhibit their "trophies" on their living room walls.

Namibia’s request for an annual export quota of 2,000 kilograms of raw ivory derived from natural and management related mortalities was not approved. Nor was its request to trade in worked ivory products.

However, Namibian and South African requests to allow trade in elephant leather and hair goods passed. Committee I rejected Namibia’s request to allow the export of traditional ivory amulets known as "ekipas." However, the committee’s decision was reversed in the final plenary session and trade in "ekipas" will be allowed.

Japan’s proposal to transfer minke whales from Appendix I to Appendix II was discussed. Japan demanded a secret ballot but lost anyway! Japan’s whaling lobbyist Masayuki Komatsu won no friends when he accused whales of eating fish. Komatsu had earlier called minke whales the "cockroaches of the ocean!"

Thailand’s proposal (predictably opposed by Japan) to transfer the Irrawaddy dolphin from Appendix II to Appendix I was approved. This dolphin species is in high demand for the "dolphinarium" trade which is growing in Asia. Many zoos and safari parks are opening across the region and performing dolphin shows are very popular with the public.

Bird proposals

The United States proposal to transfer the American bald eagle from Appendix I to Appendix II was approved. This would allow export of live birds and parts such as feathers.

Among the bird species added to Appendix I was the spectacular lesser yellow crested cockatoo, a species found only in Indonesia and Timor Leste, which is in heavy demand for the pet bird trade.

Plants

Madagascar’s proposal to transfer the highly endangered Manambe palm tree from Appendix II to Appendix I was approved. The Indonesian ramin tree was placed on Appendix II.

Fish proposals

The great white shark was transferred to Appendix II following a secret ballot demanded by Japan. This shark species is in high demand for its jaws and teeth. The humphead wrasse, a spectacular coral reef fish much in demand for the aquarium and food trade, was added to Appendix II.

Reptiles

The conference agreed to list five Asian turtles and tortoises and 11 species of Madagascar's leaf-tailed geckos on Appendix II.

Close of the conference

Delegates reassembled in the final plenary sessions and approved all but one of the decisions regarding species. The one decision reversed was the rejection of Namibia’s request to export ekipas (traditional ivory trinkets).

The Netherlands commended the Thai government for organizing the meeting and offered to host COP-14 in 2007.

See related story - Ape Issues At CITES conference