Report from the CITES Animals Committee
Meeting
The
15th meeting of the CITES Animals Committee, held the week of July 5-9,
drew some 160 participants: 10 Committee members, representatives of 42
CITES Parties, and 50 NGO observers. Attendees converged on the Island
nation to preview many of the issues that will be debated at the CITES
meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP11) scheduled for Nairobi,
Kenya in April 2000. Perhaps chief among CITES priorities will be one not
on any official agenda: the struggle between advocates of sustainable use
versus the animal rights ideologues over which approach will permeate CITES'
policies.
Animals Committee Chairmanship in Question
Although
not an item on the Animals Committee agenda of the Animals Committee, the
question of who will hold the chairmanship of the Animals Committee after
COP11 was a crucial issue in the mind of many participants, in particular
those concerned about the future of sustainable use as a guiding principle
within CITES.
Dr. Hank Jenkins of Australia, has been a fair and objective Animals Committee chairman throughout his tenure that expires at the Nairobi CITES meetings. Preservationist/Non-use NGOs are expecting to see him replaced by somebody whose views are closer to theirs. Those who have appreciated the considerable and credible science-based work undertaken by Dr Jenkins and his Committee, hope to see with his chairmanship extended until the following COP meeting (COP12). This could happen if the Government of Australia, of which Dr Jenkins is an employee, and the Oceania region he represents supports his retention as AC regional representative. Regardless of the outcome, IWMC World Conservation Trust extends its deepest and most sincere congratulations to Dr Jenkins for his tremendous effort and leadership. IWMC also wishes to express its gratitude to the Government of Australia for the wisdom and insight not only for providing so able a scientist to fulfill this role but also for its contribution to the conservation of the world's resources for their contribution to the CITES process through him. Extending his tenure would be a fitting
tribute to Dr Jenkins and to Australia by CITES delegates throughout the
world.
Trying to push CITES towards dominion
over seafood
Among
the trends identified at the Madagascar meetings is the growing interest
among CITES delegates to bring issues that affect commercial fishery issues
under CITES' auspices. Some believe this trend will reshape the complexion
of CITES governmental delegations and NGOs alike given the important economic
role fisheries play among the family of nations.
Evidence of such a trend could be seen among items discussed officially (sharks) and unofficially at the Animals Committee meetings as well in possible proposals for listing sharks, dolphins, giant clams, sawfishes, swordfish, bluefin tuna, sturgeon and the Patagonian toothfish, better known among seafood fanciers as Chilean sea bass. This was illustrated by the recommendation that the Animals Committee should continue to monitor shark issues after COP11, even if no shark species would be listed in CITES appendices at that meeting. CITES oversight of seafood species will ultimately force some accommodation with the United Nation's Food & Agriculture. At its last meeting in Rome, the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) of the UN's Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) agreed to review the CITES listing criteria with regard to commercially fished marine species. In accepting to undertake such a review, COFI implicitly recognized that CITES could play a role in the management of such species and may contest FAO primacy over seafood issues. FAO's primary concern is how to feed the earth's burgeoning population in a way compatible with conservation of the earth's resources. Nutrition from the sea is an important component in solving that problem. Protectionist NGOs know that control of food supplies in the 21st Century equates with power. Some speculate that their chances of influencing policies dealing with such issues are greater within CITES than FAO. IWMC World Conservation Trust recognizes
the tremendous significance of marine resources for the food security of
the humane population in the future. IWMC-World Conservation Trust also
recognizes that CITES, as it is drafted, may deal with the regulation of
international trade in such resources. However, it does believe that CITES
is not in a position to play an effective role in this enormous business
and that it should not try to enter in competition with FAO in this field
of activity.
Captive Breeding
While
admitting that the present system for registering commercial captive-breeding
facilities is unsatisfactory, the Animal Committee failed to agree on a
system for revising the process for Appendix-I animals. This is regrettable
because the maintenance of an unworkable system will mean that illegal
trade in specimens declared as captive-bred although not produced in registered
captive-breeding operations will continue.
Nevertheless, the Committee was able to confirm the definition of "bred in captivity for commercial purposes" adopted at its former meeting in Caracas (1998). The Committee also abandoned the large-size versus small-size approach it has used so far. A taxonomic approach was considered the only applicable alternative. A new working group was set up to try to make some progress until COP11, in order to remedy at least to some extent the inability of CITES to find an appropriate solution to this issue. At the core of the stalemate over this issue is the resolute opposition of range States. These nations appear concerned over the impact of such operations on wild populations of species in question as well as their lack of economic parity in the legal trade in animals bred from stock originally taken from those nations in a manner they now consider illegal. The working group in charge of establishing
a list of species commonly bred in captivity expressed similar concerns
stemming from a different rationale. Although such a list demands the exclusive
use of biological criteria, the inability of the working group to complete
its work appears largely based on emotional and animal rights ideological
arguments.
Whales and IWC are Animals Committee
Side Topics
Although
whale issues were not on the agenda of the Animals Committee meeting, the
highly sensitive issue emerged briefly when Japan requested to have some
whale species reviewed by the Committee under the criteria of Resolution
Conf. 9.24. The reluctance of Committee members to discuss this topic,
particularly because of the cross jurisdictional concerns of the International
Whaling Commission (IWC), led to the denial of Japan's request. Nevertheless,
it is highly likely that whaling issues will appear again at COP 11.
Traditional Medicine under the CITES
Microscope
The
cultural assault by wealthy, developed nations against those who practice
centuries old traditional medicine is gaining momentum. Long a target of
preservationist NGOs (noted for their anti-human biases), traditional medicine
has been criticized for its use of components derived from an assortment
of animals and plants, including some on CITES appendices.
TRAFFIC International's list of species used in traditional medicine around the world received Animals Committee qualified approval. No data was provided on species and traditional medicine in Central and South America or in the Caribbean. TRAFFIC's report signals the beginning of a full-scale move to explore the impact of traditional medicine on a variety of species and ways, by the West, to regulate this largely Eastern based phenomenon. The limited focus on traditional medicine alone may prove problematic. Some believe western (modern) medicine's impact on wild species should also be the subject of accurate, science-based monitoring. Ironically, the most inflammatory
anti-traditional medicine rhetoric tends to come from those groups who
not only condemn the modern pharmaceutical industry but who also taut the
virtues of "natural" remedies and vitamins. Perhaps someone should check
the stock portfolios of the key traditional medicine opponents.
Users Fees may be an Ideas whose time
has arrived
Bandied
about for the past decade and a half, the concept of fees from resource
users paying the bulk of CITES costs is back on the table. User fees are
the subject of a proposed objective of the draft Strategic Plan of the
Convention. Although, such fees were not actually discussed by the participants
to the Animals Committee, the introduction of this objective in the draft
Strategic Plan is significant. A proposal broaching this topic was introduced
by France at COP 10 but was rejected without real discussion. Another proposal
to that effect may re-appear at COP XI in Nairobi in spite of the fact
that discussions on the same issue were unsuccessful at COP6 in Ottawa,
in 1987.
The Double-Edged Sword of Bio-Diversity
Word
from the Animals Committee meeting is that the CBD is beginning to permeate
the community of nations, particularly throughout Europe. Formulation of
regulatory policies, particularly those dealing with agriculture and fisheries,
is said to now be taking preservation of biodiversity into consideration.
If imposed in a fair manner, free from the emotional biases of preservationist NGO rhetoric, this is good. If these same nations, and others, are willing to recognize the CBD insistence on preservation of cultural diversity and the importance of respecting native traditional knowledge and the sovereign rights of range nations in the conservation of nature's resources, this would be better. Discussion at the Animals Committee about "indigenization" of resource-related fields in emerging nations is another indication that CBD's recognition of the role of local nations and cultures is beginning to be honored. The only caveat, and it's important,
is that sustainable use advocates must be conversant in every aspect of
CBD and examine every bid, particularly by non-sustainable use nations
and NGOs, to implement CBD principles. Non-use NGOs love nothing more than
to masquerade their dangerous, divisive and disruptive agendas under cover
of seemingly acceptable venues.
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