Future of sharks, elephants and iguanas on the line

Delegates will meet later this month to vote on trade regulations relating to dozens of species of wild animal

The eyes of the world are on the Brazilian city of Belém where global delegates are meeting for climate discussions at CoP30. But in just a few weeks – on the other side of the world – another CoP will take place. This one will have an impact on the conservation future of a range of wild animals.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, known as CITES for short, regulates international trade in the world’s wildlife. The trade of wild animals is big business, worth billions of dollars every year, both legal and illegal.

CITES attempts to manage the level of trade in order to protect the ongoing future of the world’s species. Animals can be listed on either appendix one, which mostly prohibits international trade, or appendix two, which regulates it via a permitting system.

Every three years, delegates meet to vote on a range of proposals to list or delist certain species. This year’s CITES CoP begins in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on November 24. Delegates will debate proposals on a number of species, watched by official observers from NGOs and the business communities which would be affected by changing regulations.

Here are a few debates to keep your eye on:

Marine species: gulper sharks

Gulpers are a type of deep sea shark that are fished primarily for their oils, used in a range of cosmetic products. Trade is currently completely unregulated. But rampant fishing of the species has led to population collapses of around 80 per cent – up to 97 per cent in some locations.

A coalition of nations has come together to propose listing them on appendix two, which would mean countries wishing to export them would need to issue permits showing that the fishing does not damage their population.

This is likely to be opposed by fisheries lobbyists who will argue that CITES is the wrong tool to manage fishing. CITES has only relatively recently begun to list marine species, which are often covered already by international fisheries regulations. But conservationists argue that these have failed, with sharks often considered only as an afterthought.

I wrote about this particular proposal in detail for Dialogue Earth. You can read that piece here.

Regulations and black markets: saiga antelopes