Tuesday March 19, 2013
Lifeline for species
By TAN CHENG LI
Conference takes decisive action to halt decline of endangered species.
THE world’s biggest wildlife conference concluded last week with some great strides in the global effort to stamp out illegal wildlife trade and ensure sustainability of future commerce in a range of valuable species.
When the two-week meeting of Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in Bangkok drew to a close on Thursday, there were agreements to step up efforts to reverse the dramatic increase in the poaching of elephants and rhinoceroses; introduce trade restrictions to protect endangered tropical trees, sharks and freshwater turtles from over-exploitation; and co-operate to counter wildlife crime.
More than 350 threatened species won increased protection at the meeting, at which there were over 2,230 participants from the 170 countries that are parties to the treaty, conservation groups, observers and the media. The member countries also declared March 3 as World Wildlife Day.
“The meeting was very fruitful, and a big step forward for Parties to better regulate trade in wildlife and to further conservation efforts for species seriously threatened by illegal trade,” said Dr Chris R. Shepherd, deputy director for wildlife trade monitoring body TRAFFIC South-East Asia.
“It is unfortunate that international trade levels are a threat to so many species, and ideally, it would be great to see species recovering and removed from the list in the future, but sadly, harvest and trade of many species is a growing threat.”
Some of the major outcomes of the meeting:
Shield for turtles
Over 30 species of freshwater turtles – including all those native to Malaysia – received enhanced protection from over-harvesting for the international pet and meat trades. Four species were up-listed to Appendix I of CITES and so can no longer be traded: big-headed turtle, Burmese star tortoise, Myanmar narrrow-headed softshell turtle, and striped narrow-headed softshell turtle. Fifteen box turtle species and eight softshell turtle species from Asia, and three freshwater turtle species from North America, were added to Appendix II, which allows international commerce but only with the appropriate permits demonstrating legal and sustainable sourcing.
Another 15 box turtle species already listed in Appendix II are now subject to “zero quota for wild-caught specimens”, which means only captive-bred specimens are allowed for commerce. The Malaysian species in this category are the Malaysian giant turtle, yellow-headed temple turtle and painted terrapin. However, a proposal to ban trade in the rare Roti Island snake-necked turtle was rejected after Indonesia, the range state, assured delegates that the conservation threats were being addressed through a conservation programme. Laundering of wild-caught specimens through captive-breeding facilities in Indonesia appears to be a method by which this turtle continues to enter international trade.
Tortoises and freshwater turtles are among the most seriously threatened groups of animals in the world. Two years ago, experts warned that 80% of Asia’s 86 turtle and tortoise species were at risk of global extinction.
“As tortoises and freshwater turtles are so seriously affected by illegal and unsustainable trade in South-East Asia, the listing of the species provides the authorities with a more comprehensive set of tools to combat the illegal trade and to work towards population recovery,” said Shepherd.
He said all species of tortoises and freshwater turtles native to Malaysia are now protected by CITES. “Most were already listed, but the remaining few unlisted species were moved to Appendix II at the meeting. This closes any potential species identification loopholes authorities in Malaysia may have had – basically, if it is a native tortoise or freshwater turtle from Malaysia, CITES regulations apply.
“This provides Malaysia with a real opportunity to control trade and to work towards ensuring illegal and unsustainable trade is not a threat to Malaysia’s native species.”
While the listings mark a significant step for global reptile conservation efforts, Shepherd asserts that they need to be backed up by effective implementation of trade regulation measures.
Five shark species won international trade protection in what is seen as a breakthrough in efforts to save the world’s oldest predator from extinction due to rampant demand for its fins. The listing of the oceanic white-tip, the porbeagle shark and three types of hammerhead sharks (scalloped, great and smooth) in Appendix II (controlled trade allowed) requires countries to regulate commerce by issuing export permits and to provide evidence that the fish has been harvested sustainably and legally.
The listing has been hailed as a landmark moment for CITES because previous attempts to protect these sharks have failed, largely due to opposition from shark-fin-consuming and -producing countries such as Japan and China. At the meeting, however, support from Latin American and West African countries, and the promise of cash from the European Union to help change fishing practices, won the day.
“This is an historic day for marine conservation,” said Glenn Sant, marine programme leader for TRAFFIC. “Shark populations in freefall have been thrown a lifeline today ... CITES has finally listened to the scientists.”
The five species join the great white shark, the whale shark and the basking shark, which already enjoy international trade controls. Humans kill about 100 million sharks each year, mostly for their fins, according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation. It says 90% of the world’s sharks have disappeared over the past century, mostly because of over-fishing in countries such as Indonesia. Conservationists say sharks are slow to reproduce and will be threatened with extinction without better monitoring and management. They also argue that “finning” – slicing the valuable fins from live sharks – is inhumane, as the rest of the animal is typically dumped back into the ocean.
Another victory for ocean lovers is the listing of manta rays in Appendix II. These rays, whose wingspans can reach 7m, are principally targeted for their gill plates, which are processed and sold as a purifying tonic, but are also harvested for their meat and skins. Populations are being devastated off the coasts of Sri Lanka and Indonesia to feed a newly created Chinese medicine market.
The rays are slow-growing with low productivity, making them highly susceptible to over-fishing. Just three years ago, scientists confirmed the existence of two separate species within the group. Manta rays tend to congregate at well-known aggregation sites and follow regular migration pathways, which makes them easy targets from fishing fleets. Around 5,000 are estimated to be killed each year, generating US$5mil (RM15.5mil) for traders, but where protected they bring in US$140mil (RM434mil) from tourism.
Another fish that benefited from the meeting is freshwater sawfish, which can no longer be traded after being added to Appendix I. They are virtually extinct over much of their former west Pacific range, and have not been seen for decades in Indonesia and Thailand. Now restricted to northern Australia, they are sought for their fins and saws, and by aquariums.
Dozens of commercially exploited tropical hardwood, long subjected to uncontrolled and illegal harvest, will be placed under international trade controls. The Appendix II listing for ebony from Madagascar as well as rosewood from Thailand, Vietnam, Latin and Central America, and Madagascar, will make it harder for illegal loggers to sell their timber overseas. The exporting countries will have to issue export permits and ensure the sustainability of the species in the wild.
Conservationists welcome the listing, as commercially exploited timber species have previously featured little within CITES.
Rampant logging – even within protected areas – threatens Madagascar’s 80 species of ebony as the wood is highly prized, mostly ending up in China and Europe where they are turned into musical instruments, for example piano keys, and decorative items, such as chess pieces.
“Without the protection of CITES to regulate international trade, the unsustainable illegal harvest will bring these species to the brink of extinction in 10 to 20 years,” said Juan Carlos Cantu of Defenders of Wildlife.
The Bangkok Post reported that two-thirds of Thailand’s wild Siamese rosewood (Dalbergia cochinchinensis) stocks have been depleted over the past six years because of logging and habitat loss. According to the Environmental Investigation Agency, Thailand had banned logging of rosewood and other precious wood species in 1989 but huge demand and weak law enforcement sees Thai rosewood, which can fetch up to US$50,000 (RM155,000) per cubic meter, being smuggled into neighbouring countries and shipped to end-users, principally China, where the wood is used for luxury Hongmu antique-style furniture. In Vietnam, heavy illegal logging has led to the rosewood tree population plunging by around 60% over the past decade.
CITES also agreed to create a system of certificates for musical instruments crafted with materials from protected species – ranging from pianos with ivory keys to guitars made from ebony and violin bows crafted with tortoise shell – so that these can roam the globe more easily with their own “passports”. Such instruments currently need a new permit each time they cross borders. In the case of species banned from international trade, the certificates will only be available for instruments made before the protection took effect.
Curbs on ivory
Conservation bodies say that poaching of elephants has reached crisis levels, with up to 30,000 elephants being slaughtered annually to feed the illegal ivory trade, which has doubled since 2007. It is estimated that only about 420,000 to 650,000 elephants remain in Africa. In Thailand, a top market for ivory, criminals exploit legal trade in tusks from domesticated Asian elephants to sell illicit stocks of African ivory.
Delegates endorsed several measures that will curtail ivory laundering. Governments now have to report their ivory stockpiles annually to prevent the stash from being illegally traded. There have been previous cases of ivory missing from government-held stockpiles. Also, ivory seizures of more than 500kg will be forensically examined to determine their country of origin. An Ivory Enforcement Task Force will be created to improve enforcement collaboration between countries.
Eight nations were accused of failing to counter the illegal flow of ivory along the trade chain – China and Thailand as end-use markets; Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam as transit countries; and Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda as source and exit points in Africa. But these countries avoided sanctions after committing to take action. Six have submitted draft action plans while China and Tanzania will do so by May. Under treaty rules, CITES member states can recommend that parties stop trading with non-compliant countries in the 35,000 species covered under the convention.
“Malaysia is not a consumer of ivory, but it is being used as a transit point,” said Shepherd. “In transit countries, such as Malaysia, the key really is to remove the elements that attract smugglers. If there are individuals or companies established in Malaysia and taking advantage of the ports, then investigative efforts should be made to put these people out of business.
“Joint investigations with source and consumer countries should be initiated and CITES, as an international tool, should be used to the fullest extent to prevent shipments of ivory moving through Malaysia. Malaysia has made some very significant seizures and has been recognised as taking action against the illegal international ivory trade. The key now is to deter smugglers and illegal dealers from using Malaysia.”
The meeting also acknowledged the need for campaigns to curtail consumer demand for ivory and countries will also have to report on measures taken to prevent illegal trade in live captive elephants. This move will support endangered populations of the Asian elephants that are subject to animal trafficking in countries such as Thailand and Myanmar.
Some progress was made in the conservation of critically endangered rhinos. Two of the worst offenders in the rhino horn trade, Vietnam and Mozambique, were given until 2014 to clean up their act or face trade sanctions by CITES.
Rhino poaching has hit record highs – 668 South African rhinos were killed by poachers last year, and close to 150 have died so far this year – and is currently exacerbated by increasingly sophisticated criminal networks. Consumption in Vietnam has grown massively, fuelled by claims that rhino horn cures cancer and hangovers.
Vietnam is now required to implement strategies to reduce consumer demand and ensure that horn traffickers are strongly punished. Mozambique, a major transit country for rhino horns, must strengthen legislation and enforcement to reduce trade flows exiting the African continent. It is currently only a misdemeanour to smuggle rhino horns through Mozambique. The country shares a border with South Africa’s Kruger National Park, home to most of the world’s rhinos and also the epicentre of illegal killing.
“The recommendation to implement a demand reduction strategy for an endangered species is a welcome first for CITES,” said Sabri Zain, TRAFFIC director of advocacy. “Enforcement efforts to stem poaching and trafficking may be futile without complementary efforts to reduce demand for these illegal products.”
The meeting requested member countries to prosecute horn smugglers under a combination of relevant legislations which carry appropriate penalties that will act as effective deterrent.
The meeting also agreed to develop a reporting mechanism on the illegal killing and trade of great apes. According to the United Nations Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP) Stolen Apes report, which was launched at the meeting, 22,218 great apes were taken from the wild between 2005 and 2011 to be traded illegally on international markets, primarily for the pet trade.
Trade in the West African manatee, that is hunted for its meat and oil, has also been banned while added to Appendix II were New Zealand green geckos and Mangshan pit-viper (endemic to south China).
A proposal by the United States to ban cross-border trade in polar bears and their parts was rejected, however, following an impassioned appeal by Canadian Inuits to preserve polar bear hunting in their communities. Polar bears are currently listed in Appendix II, so their trade is merely regulated.
There are between 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears living in the wild in Canada, the United States, Russia, Denmark and Norway, according to the most recent analysis, which was conducted in the early 1990s. Scientists project that as Arctic summer sea ice shrinks, many polar bear populations could decline by 66% by mid-century.