International conservation treaties, poverty and development: the case of CITES

Looks at how CITES measures have evolved over time and the growing interest in the use of restricted trade measures as a conservation tool. The report critically examines the effectiveness of CITES measures and looks at the extent to which parties to the convention link development and conservation.In this broad context the authors pick out a number of emerging issues for particular attention. These include:commercially important wild speciescommunity based approaches vs protected areasCITES and WTOCITES and CBDThe report makes a number of policy recommendations:The decision on whether to list a species in the appendices of CITES should take into account whether such a listing will benefit the conservation of the species. Establishing measurable targets for listed species would assist in evaluation of the convention.There is a case for using Appendix II listings as an indicator to consumers of the sustainability of the trade in that species (‘green labelling’).Decisions on the use of trade measures should be linked more closely to the development of management plans in the states where the species originate (the ‘range states’). There is a need to strengthen the institutional mechanisms (such as those involved in the ‘significant trade process’) that enable this link to be made.The Parties to CITES should put less emphasis on using CITES to restrict the trade in wild species and more on promoting a regulated and sustainable trade in wild species. This would be more consistent with conservation and, possibly, poverty reduction goals.The Parties to CITES should recognise the importance of linking conservation to development, given that many range states are also developing countries. There is scope for expressing this recognition in the decisions and policies adopted by the Parties.The Parties to CITES should explore the synergies with the Convention on Biological Diversity with the aim of developing joint programmes on specific issues.The Parties to CITES should consider regulating commercially important species, particularly timber and fish, while recognising that this will probably bring about a further shift in the way the treaty functions.[authors]