CITES aims to ensure international trade in wildlife does not threaten species' survival. This requires appropriate national policies. The document discusses how CITES' purpose is linked to global initiatives and the importance of policy. It outlines policy measures countries take under CITES and the politics around wildlife policy. A review process helps countries evaluate their policies's impacts and improve their effectiveness in supporting both conservation and livelihoods.

1. 1
Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
www.CITES.org
The purpose of CITES and
links to national policy

2. 2
Overview
• The purpose of CITES
• The link to national policy
• Policy measures under CITES
• Sources of policy
• Politics of wildlife policy
• Policy approaches
• Types of policy
• The CITES policy review

3. 3
The purpose of CITES
• In the decades since
CITES came into
force, the human
population has more
than doubled and the
gross global product
has increased more
than tenfold, putting
far more pressure on
natural resources

4. 4
The purpose of CITES
• What has changed in the world in 30+ years:
– acceptance of the environment as an essential
element of sustainable development
– environmental economics
– ecosystem approaches
– importance of biodiversity to human livelihoods
– the growing power of the developing world and
their ability to raise their biodiversity concerns

5. 5
The purpose of CITES
• Growth in international law
– 1971 Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
– 1972 UNESCO Convention Concerning the Protection of the
World Cultural and Natural Heritage
– 1979 Bonn Convention on the Conservation of Migratory
Species of Wild Animals
– 1980 Canberra Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic
Marine Living Resources
– 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea
– The post-1992 ‘Rio Conventions’ (Convention on Biological
Diversity, Framework Convention on Climate Change, Convention to
Combat Desertification)

6. 6
The purpose of CITES
• What CITES has introduced in 30+ years
– recognition that peoples and States are and should be
the best protectors of their own wild fauna and flora
– recognition that a modern Government needs to have
a scientific basis for determining the status of its own
species, and addressing the implications of trade in
them
– establishment of national authorities to implement
treaties
– active participation of civil society in conservation
decision-making processes, and a rallying point for
non-governmental conservation organizations

7. 7
The purpose of CITES
• The new mission -- vision aims to contribute
to the achievement of the World Summit on
Sustainable Development (WSSD) target of
significantly reducing the rate of biodiversity
loss by 2010

8. 8
The purpose of CITES
• At CoP 14 (The Hague, 2007) the Parties adopted Resolution
Conf. 14.2, Strategic Vision 2008-2013, which outlines the
Convention’s direction and takes into account issues such as:
– the UN Millennium Development Goals relevant to CITES
– the WSSD target of significantly reducing the rate of biodiversity
loss by 2010
– conservation of wildlife as an integral part of the global ecosystem
on which all life depends
– the cultural, social and economic factors at play in producer and
consumer countries
– transparency and wider involvement of civil society in the
development of conservation policies and practices; and
– a coherent and internationally agreed approach based on scientific
evidence is taken to address any species of wild fauna and flora
subject to unsustainable international trade.

9. 9
The purpose of CITES
Vision Statement
“Conserve biodiversity and contribute to its
sustainable use by ensuring that no species
of wild fauna or flora becomes or remains
subject to unsustainable exploitation through
international trade, thereby contributing to the
significant reduction of the rate of biodiversity
loss”

10. 10
The purpose of CITES
• The twofold aim of the
Strategic Vision is:
– to improve the working of the
Convention, so that international
trade in wild fauna and flora is
conducted at sustainable levels;
and
– to ensure that CITES policy
developments are mutually
supportive of international
environmental priorities and take
into account new international
initiatives, consistent with the
terms of the Convention

11. 11
The link to policy
• Turning the purpose of CITES into action
requires adopting appropriate Government
policy

12. 12
Why policy matters
• Nonexistent or incoherent policy frameworks are
linked to a lack of political will
• A weak policy framework results in ineffective
implementation of the Convention
• Ineffective implementation results in low compliance
levels, overexploitation and illegal trade problems
(impacts)
• Poor communities are the most negatively affected
by policy failures

13. 13
‘Good’ vs ‘bad’ policy
• Policies should be thoughtful, balanced, coherent
(internal/external), complete, easy to implement, cost
efficient and effective
• They should be reviewed from time to time under a
rational, structured and participatory process – and
then adjusted, if necessary, to make them more
effective

14. 14
Policy measures
• Wildlife use rights (determining access and tenure)
• Quota system (providing a degree of caution)
• Promotion of captive breeding and artificial
propagation (supporting ex situ production and in situ
conservation)
• Trade moratorium or
ban (short or long-term)

15. 15
Sources of policy
• Policy can be at the international, regional,
sub-regional, national or sub-national level
– Policy documents, strategies, programmes, action
plans
– Legal instruments
– Historical and current actions/practice
– Public statements or positions

16. 16
The politics of wildlife policy
• Wildlife’s significance makes it a political commodity
• Wildlife fascinates people of industrialized countries
• There are competing pressures from local actors
seeking greater access to wildlife vs international
NGOs intent on limiting such access
• Some countries/organizations/individuals want their
policy to be your policy – this can be achieved
through negotiated agreement and/or pressure
through lobbying or media

17. 17
Policy approaches
• Positive – preventive
• Changes behavior in creative
ways (education and incentives)
• Makes local and private sectors
self-regulating
• Addresses the root causes
• Provides flexibility and
alternatives
• Focuses on avoiding problems
in the first place or fixing them
• Equitable (compensation,
property rights for poor)
• Negative – punitive
• Bans, prison and fines
(command and control)
• Expects the worst of people and
limits their rights
• Addresses the symptoms
• Provides no flexibility or
alternatives, no incentive to
change, no means to fix the
problem
• Focuses on punishment of
violations already committed
• Unfair (powerful people don’t
get judged)

18. 18
Types of policies
• Trade under reservations to
CITES-listed species
• Trade as authorized by the
Convention
• Trade in some but not all
CITES-listed species (e.g.
exotic but not domestic,
plants but not animals, dead
but not live)
• Trade in produced but not
wild-taken specimens
• Trade for non-commercial
but not commercial purposes
• No exports of certain species
• No imports of certain species
• No trade in potentially
invasive species
• No use of CITES exemptions
• No trade in charismatic or
intelligent or cute or
culturally important species
• No wildlife trade whatsoever

19. 19
Goal – poverty reduction/livelihoods
• For trade to be carried out in a responsible manner
and based on sustainable use, social and economic
incentives are needed to bring local communities and
local authorities into partnership with government
first CITES Strategic Vision)

20. 20
Resolution Conf. 8.3 (Rev. CoP13)
• The CoP recognizes that:
– commercial trade may be beneficial to the
conservation of species and ecosystems and/or to
development of local people when carried out at
levels that are not detrimental to the survival of the
species in question
– implementation of CITES listing decisions should
take into account potential impacts on the
livelihoods of the poor

21. 21
Decisions 14.3 and 14.4
• The Standing Committee shall, subject to
external funding, initiate and supervise a
process to develop by CoP15
– Tools for voluntary use by the Parties for the rapid
assessment at the national level of the positive
and negative impacts of implementing CITES
listing decisions on the livelihoods of the poor
– Draft voluntary guidelines for Parties to address
these impacts, particularly in developing countries

22. 22
How is the CITES
policy review process structured?
• Review preparations (pre-Review)
• Review
– Step 1 – Describe the context, the policy
content and its implementation
– Step 2 – Identify the policy’s impacts
– Step 3 – Analyze the policy and its
impacts
• Conclusions, recommendations and
follow-up (post-Review)

23. 23
Summary
• The purpose of CITES, included in its Strategic
Vision, is linked to ongoing international conservation
and development initiatives
• Achieving this purpose requires appropriate national
policy
• A CITES process is underway to develop guidance
for Parties on reviewing their national policy

24. 24
CITES Secretariat
Geneva