§ Mr. BurgonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species which took place in Gigiri, Kenya, from 10 to 20 April. [121623]
§ Mr. MeacherA record 130 countries attended the Conference, which took place in a positive and friendly atmosphere in the excellent facilities provided at UNEP HQ.
The Conference considered 62 proposals to amend the species covered by CITES, which are listed in two Appendices. Appendix I lists highly endangered species which are prohibited in international commerce. Appendix II lists other endangered species in the table, which includes details of the final position taken by the
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Species—scientific name Species—common name Proposal UK/EU final position Outcome Fauna Crocodylus niloticus (Tanzania pop.) Nile crocodile Increase export quota for wild-taken specimens Support Adopted Manis crassicaudata Indian pangolin Uplist (AH to AI). Amended to remain in All with zero wild quota Support as amended Adopted as amended Manis pentadactyla Chinese pangolin Manis javanica Malayan pangolin UK (in accordance with the EU' s common position) on those proposals which were put to the Conference for decision.
The UK achieved its main objective on the key proposals for elephants, turtles and whales. Our own proposal to list the basking shark on Appendix II achieved 61 per cent. support—the highest vote for any of the three shark proposals before the Conference. Unfortunately a two-thirds majority was required and the majority of states which use basking shark fins voted against our efforts to ensure that fisheries were managed sustainably and trade levels monitored.
We were particularly disappointed that representatives from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) intervened in the debate on behalf of overseas fishing industry interests, and partly disowned their own technical report which showed that species like the basking shark are particularly suitable for CITES management. Given the continuing threat to this species, and the strength of our scientific case which was widely acknowledged, the Government intend to work with our European Union colleagues to list the basking shark on Appendix III of CITES as soon as possible. If agreed, this would make any transaction between the EU and other states in basking shark products subject to the EU CITES Regulations.
Another major UK proposal at the Conference—to establish a working group to address unsustainable trade in bushmeat—has been strongly endorsed. Initially, the working group will focus on the management of bushmeat harvesting and trade in six African countries with particular problems such as dislocation caused by irresponsible forest exploitation by international timber companies and unsustainable demand for bushmeat from urban areas. My Department is making £50,000 available in the current financial year to support this initiative, and we look forward to contributions from other CITES Parties and non-Governmental bodies.
I would also like to highlight two other UK achievements at the Conferences. First we ensured that most of the tough recommendations made in the recent CITES Tiger Missions, led by the UK, were endorsed and that countries which fail to implement them can as a last resort face wildlife trade sanctions. As a potential consumer state, the UK will continue to maintain a vigilant profile through education, detection and prosecution to prevent any revival in the use of tiger products for traditional medicine in this country. Secondly, I would like to pay tribute to representatives of HM Customs and Excise and the Police who organised a widely praised exhibition of the UK's work to enforce CITES. Two recent convictions in the UK for illegal trade in shahtoosh and parrots have demonstrated the increasing commitment of statutory enforcement agencies to tackle wildlife crime. I hope that the proposed Wildlife Crime Unit, which I announced on 16 February, will enable us to build on these achievements.
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Species—scientific name Species—common name Proposal UK/EU final position Outcome Tursiops truncatus ponticus Black Sea Bottle Nosed Dolphin Uplist (AII to AI) Abstain Withdrawn Eschrichtius robustus (Eastern N. Pacific stock) Grey Whale Downlist (to AII) Oppose Rejected Balaenoptera acutorostrata (S. Hemisphere stock) Minke Whale Downlist (to AII) Oppose Rejected Balaenoptera acutorostrata (Okhotsk Sea—W. Pacific stock) Minke Whale Downlist (to AII) Oppose Rejected Balaenoptera acutorostrata (NE Atlantic, N. Atlantic Central stock Minke Whale Downlist (to AII) Oppose Rejected Parahyaena brunnea Hyaena De-list (from AII) Support Adopted Loxodonta africana (South African pop.) African Elephant Downlist (to AII). Non-ivory trade only Support as amended Adopted as amended Loxodonta africana (Botswanan pop.) African Elephant Commercial ivory quota Oppose Withdrawn Loxodonta africana (Namibian pop.) African Elephant Commercial ivory quota Oppose Withdrawn Loxodonta africana (Zimbabwean pop.) African Elephant Commercial ivory quota Oppose Withdrawn Loxodonta africana (App. II pops.) African Elephant Uplist (AII to AI) Oppose Withdrawn Loxodonta africana (App. II pops.) African Elephant Annotation amendment (re "appropriate and acceptable destinations") Support Adopted Dugong dugon (Australian pop.) Sea Cow Uplist (AII to AI) Abstain Adopted Vicugna vicugna (App. I pops.) Vicuna Downlist (to AII) Support Withdrawn Vicugna vicugna (App. II pops) Vicuna Delete zero quota for trade in cloth Support Adopted Moschus spp. (App. II pops.) Musk deer Uplist (to AI) Oppose Withdrawn Ovis vignei (unlisted sub spp.) Urial List non AI pops, on AII Support as amended Adopted as amended Rhea pennata pennata (Argentine pop.) Lesser Rhea Downlist (to AII) Support Adopted Falco rusticolus (N. American pop.) Gyr Falcon Downlist (AI to AII) Oppose Rejected Eunymphicus cornutus cornutus Horned Parakeet Uplist (AII to AI) Support Adopted Eunymphicus cornutus uveaenisis Ouvea Parakeet Uplist (AII to AI) Support Adopted Garrulax canorus Melodious Laughing Thrush List (on AII) Oppose (but support AIII) Adopted Cuora s.l. Box Turtles List (on AII) Support Adopted Clemmys guttata Spotted turtle List (on AII) Oppose Rejected Geochelone sulcata African spurred tortoise Retain AII with zero wild quota Support Adopted as amended Malacochersus tornieri Pancake tortoise Uplist (AII to AI) Support Withdrawn Eretmochelys imbricata (Carib. pop. in Cuban waters Hawksbill Turtle Downlist (to AII) Oppose Withdrawn Eretmochelys imbricata (Carib. pop. in Cuban waters Hawksbill Turtle Downlist (to AII) for one-off sale of shell stocks Abstain Rejected Crocodylus moreletii (Sian Ka'an, Quintana Roo pop.) Belize crocodile Downlist (to AII) n/a Withdrawn before the Conference Varanus melinus Quince monitor lizard Uplist (AII to AI) Oppose Withdrawn Crotalus horridus Timber rattlesnake (List on AII) Oppose Withdrawn Bufo retiformis Sonoran green toad De-list (from AII) Support Adopted Mantella spp. (except M. aurentiaca) Malagasy poison frog List (on AII) Support Adopted Rhincodon typus Whale shark List (on AII) Support Rejected
Species—scientific name Species—common name Proposal UK/EU final position Outcome Carcharodon carcharias Great white shark List (on AI) Support AII Rejected Cetorhinus maximus Basking shark List (on AII) Support Rejected Latimeria spp. (except L. chalumnae) Coelecanth List (on AI) Support Adopted Latimeria menadoensis Menado coelacanth List (on AI) Support (only if above proposal failed) Withdrawn Poecilotheria spp. Ornamental tarantula List (on AII) Oppose Rejected Flora Popophyllum hexandrum; and Rauvolfia serpentina Combine with annotation for Taxus wallichiana Support Adopted (also referred to Plants Committee) Ceropegia spp. De-list (from AII) Support Adopted Frerea indica De-list (from AII) Support Adopted Byblis spp. Rainbow Plant De-list (from AII) Support Adopted Disocatus macdougalli McDougal's cactus Downlist (to AII) Support Adopted Sclerocactus mariposensis Lloyds Mariposa cactus Downlist (to AII) Support Rejected Cephalotus follicularis Albany pitcher plant De-list (from AII) Support Adopted Dudleya stolonifera Laguna Beach Liveforever Downlist (to AII) Support Adopted as amended Dudleya traskiae Santa Barbara Island Liveforever (a) Cyathea spp. and Tree ferns (a) amend listing to Cyathea spp. (inc. Alsophila, Nephelea, Sphaeropteris, Trichipteris) and Cibotium barometz Support Adopted (b) Dicksonia spp. (b) amend listing to Dicksonia spp. (originating in Americas) and Cibotium barometz Shortia galacifolia Oconee-Bells De-list (from AII) Support Withdrawn Lewisia cotyledon Siskiyou Lewisia; De-list (from AII) Support Adopted as amended Maguire's Bitter-root; Saw-toothed Lewisia Darlingtonia californica California Pitcher Plant De-list (from AII) Support Adopted Panax ginseng (roots) Ginseng List (on AII) Support Adopted as amended Araucaria araucana (Argentine pop.) Monkey puzzle tree Uplist (AII to AI) Support Adopted Cactaceae spp. De-list (from AII) Oppose Withdrawn (but decision adopted) Kalmia cuneata Laurel De-list (from AII) Support Withdrawn Camptotheca acuminata Happytree List (on AII) Open Withdrawn Cistanche deserticola Desert living Cistanche List (on AII) Support Adopted as amended Harpagophytum procumbens; Harpagophytum zeyheri Grapple plant List (on AII) Support Withdrawn Adonis vernalis Herb of spring adonis List (on AII) Support Adopted as amended Guaiacum sanctum Brazil wood Uplist (to AI) Oppose Withdrawn (but decision adopted) Notes:
- 1. AI = Appendix I of CITES (species banned in commerce).
- 2. All = Appendix II of CITES (species regulated in commerce)