Letters needed to oppose CITES pro-trade bias

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Dear friends of animals around the world,

 

Letters are needed to protest the completely unacceptable pro-trade bias

reflected by Willem Wijnstekers, Secretary General of CITES in a news

article printed 4 May 2001. [The complete article is appended at the bottom

of this message.]

 

Regarding the news article and Wijnstekers' printed pro-trade assertions, please

be advised that it is not the responsibility of CITES to lobby for increased

trade

in wildlife - regardless of whether the particular trading is legal or not.

 

According to official CITES website, the explanation of 'What is CITES?' is

as follows:

 

 

" The international wildlife trade, worth billions of dollars annually, has

caused

massive declines in the numbers of many species of animals and plants. The scale

of over-exploitation for trade aroused such concern for the survival of species

that an international treaty was drawn up in 1973 to protect wildlife against

such

over-exploitation and to prevent international trade from threatening species

with extinction. "

 

" Known as CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered

Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, entered into force on 1 July 1975 and now

has a membership of 152 countries. These countries act by banning commercial

international trade in an agreed list of endangered species and by regulating

and monitoring trade in others that might become endangered. (Convention Text). "

 

 

If indeed CITES is responsible for regulating and monitoring trade in wildlife,

then

CITES should not be concerning itself with " poor people in developing countries "

and whether or not those people are " highly dependent on natural resources,

including

wildlife. " The stated purpose of CITES is not " sustainable use. " As such, the

referenced article reflects a bias which is completely unacceptable, and

conflicting

with the stated purpose of CITES.

 

The acts of " regulating and monitoring " trade in wildlife is NOT the same as

promoting - and lobbying for - increased trade. Wijnstekers has clearly

overstepped

his bounds. It appears Wijnstekers is using his personal pro-trade bias to

unravel

the mandate of CITES from within.

 

Please write to the addresses below and request that the pro-trade statements be

rescinded immediately in the same media forum to which they were submitted.

Demand that future assertions made by officials representing CITES be in

accordance

with the stated purpose of CITES and its mandates, and not based on promoting

the maverick personal agenda of one individual.

 

Write to -

 

Willem Wijnstekers, Secretary General CITES

Geneva Executive Centre

15 Chemin des Anemones,1219 Chatelaine

Geneva, Switzerland

E-mail: cites

 

 

Please also send letters of protest regarding the CITES Secretariat overstepping

his bounds to the Executive-Director of the United Nations Environment

Programme:

 

Klaus Töpfer, Executive-Director of the United Nations Environment Programme

United Nations Environment Programme

United Nations Avenue, Gigiri

PO Box 30552,

Nairobi, Kenya

Tel: (254-2) 621234

Fax: (254-2) 624489/90

E-mail c/o tore.brevik

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CITES Head Calls on Airlines to Reconsider Boycotts of Wildlife Shipments

EarthVision Environmental News

 

GENEVA, May 4, 2001 - Boycotts by airline companies of shipments containing

legally traded wild animals strike against the interests of the animals

themselves and of poor people in developing countries, Willem Wijnstekers,

Secretary-General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered

Species (CITES), said today. In addition, they do nothing to promote

conservation and are thus counter-productive.

 

Reacting to Tuesday's announcement by Lufthansa that it will no longer

transport animals captured in the wild for commercial purposes, Mr.

Wijnstekers pointed out that the economies and rural communities of many

developing countries are highly dependent on natural resources, including

wildlife.

 

" Sustainable trade in wild animals and plants represents a legitimate and

vital economic interest for developing countries " , he said. " The 153 member

Governments of CITES have agreed to a strict set of rules for ensuring that

this trade is conducted in a way that does not endanger the species involved

and that gives poor communities an economic stake in protecting the wildlife

that they live with on a daily basis. "

 

According to Mr. Wijnstekers, a trend toward bans would undermine both

animal welfare and conservation efforts by pushing shipments onto

second-tier airlines and charters, where conditions may be worse and flight

times longer. When trade is conducted by quality commercial airlines, the

Live Animal Regulations set down by the International Air Transport

Association (IATA) specifying ventilation, space, packing, feeding and other

conditions minimize the animals' discomfort.

 

Where these guidelines are not implemented or are proven to be insufficient,

IATA and CITES are required to take steps to improve the situation. However,

as studies in a number of European countries have shown, air transport

mortality rates are in fact low.

 

" Photographs of dead and suffering animals that have been smuggled via

airlines or ships are distressing and shocking " , said Mr. Wijnstekers. " But

this illegal trade should not be confused with the regulated shipments that

are now being barred from leading airlines. "

 

CITES was adopted in 1973 in response to concerns about the overexploitation

of many vulnerable species as a result of unregulated international trade.

The Convention, administered by the United Nations Environment Program

(UNEP), gives producer and consumer countries joint responsibility for

managing wildlife sustainably and preventing illegal trade.

 

CITES prohibits commercial international trade (and regulates non-commercial

trade) in plant and animal species that are threatened with extinction and

are or may be affected by trade. These species are listed in Appendix I,

which includes the snow leopard, the tiger and other big cats; many rare

primates such as the chimpanzee and the gorilla; almost all large parrots;

most crocodiles; all sea turtles; slipper orchids and many cacti - in total

about 800 species.

 

The Convention uses a system of permits to ensure that international trade

is sustainable for many species that are not threatened with extinction but

could become so if trade were not strictly regulated. These species are

listed in Appendix II, which includes all other big cats, primates,

cetaceans, parrots, crocodiles, cacti and orchids, plus several carnivorous

plants - in total about 30,000 species. To obtain the necessary permits for

export, it must be shown that trade is not detrimental to the long-term

survival of the species.

 

A third Appendix includes species subject to regulation within a particular

country and for which the cooperation of other member countries is sought to

help regulate trade.

 

As trade impacts and population levels change, animal or plant species can

be added to the CITES Appendices, deleted from them, or transferred from one

Appendix to another. These decisions are to be based on the best biological

information available and the likely effectiveness of different types of

regulation.

 

Submitted By:

CITES