CITES COP19 and the African Wildlife Economy

A selection of CITES COP19 agenda items

relevant to the African Wildlife Economy

Agenda Item 10. CITES Strategic Vision

• CoP19 Doc. 10 - Submitted by the Standing Committee
  
   
• CoP19 Doc. 10 Add - Prepared by the Secretariat
  
   
• Directed to the Secretariat - 19.AA - The Secretariat shall undertake a comparative analysis in order to illustrate the linkages between the CITES Strategic Vision 2021-2030 and highlight areas of alignment with the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework…
  
   
• Conf. 18.3 CITES Strategic Vision: 2021-2030
  
   
• Objective 4.1 – Parties support sustainable wildlife trade policies, especially those that increase the capacity of Indigenous peoples and local communities to pursue livelihoods.

Agenda Item 14. Livelihoods

• CoP19 Doc. 14 - submitted by the Standing Committee
  
   
• 18.33 (Rev. CoP19) Directed to the Parties – Parties are invited to: a) collate or conduct new case studies… that demonstrate how sustainable use of CITES-listed species contributes to the livelihoods of the indigenous peoples and local communities…; b) engage indigenous peoples and local communities in CITES decision-making and implementation processes at the national level…; and c) where appropriate, incorporate issues related to CITES implementation and livelihoods into national wildlife conservation and socio-economic development plans…

Agenda Item 66.2.2. Establishing a fund accessible to range States upon non-commercial disposal of ivory stockpiles

• CoP19 Doc. 66.2.2 - submitted by Kenya
  
   
• Existing economic circumstances have prompted recent calls for ivory sales or buyouts… In order to consider an alternative to stockpiling ivory and contemplating sales or buyouts, the Conference of the Parties agrees to establish a working group at the 76th meeting of the Standing Committee (SC76) to further develop the terms and conditions for establishing a fund for elephant range States to access upon the non-commercial disposal of their ivory stockpiles and to support conservation efforts.

Agenda Item 66.3. Implementing aspects of Resolution Conf. 10.10 (Rev. CoP18) on the closure of domestic ivory markets

• CoP19 Doc. 66.3 - submitted by Benin, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Liberia, Niger, Senegal, and Togo
  
   
• Resolution Conf.10.10 (Rev.CoP18) recommends that all Parties and non-Parties should close domestic ivory markets that are contributing to poaching or illegal trade. With many CITES Parties having adopted the recommendation and taken steps to close their markets, prioritizing the closure of the remaining significant markets is key to the effective and uniform implementation of this resolution. Remaining open ivory markets pose real risks to perpetuate transnational wildlife crime because they can continue to incentivize illegal imports and exports.

89. Proposals to amend Appendices I and II

Prop. 1 – Transfer Hippopotamus amphibius from CITES Appendix II to Appendix I

• CoP19 Prop. 1 - Proponent: Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Gabon, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo
  
   
• Transfer Hippopotamus amphibius from CITES Appendix II to Appendix I, in accordance with:
  
  
  
  Article II, paragraph 1, of the Convention: “Appendix I shall include all species threatened with extinction which are or may be affected by trade;” and
  
  
  
  Resolution Conf. 9.24 (Rev. CoP17), Annex 1, paragraph C: “A marked decline in the population size in the wild, which has been either: i) observed as ongoing or as having occurred in the past (but with a potential to resume); or ii) inferred or projected on the basis of any one of the following: a decrease in area of habitat; a decrease in quality of habitat; levels or patterns of exploitation; a high vulnerability to either intrinsic or extrinsic factors; or a decreasing recruitment.”

Prop. 2 - Transfer the population of Ceratotherium simum simum of Namibia from Appendix I to Appendix II

• CoP19 Prop. 2 - Proponent: Botswana, Namibia
  
   
• Transfer of the population of Ceratotherium simum simum of Namibia from Appendix I to Appendix II with the following annotation:
  
  
  
  For the exclusive purpose of allowing international trade in:
  
  
  
  a) live animals for in-situ conservation only; and
  
  
  
  b) hunting trophies.
  
  
  
  All other specimens shall be deemed to be specimens of species included in Appendix I and the trade in them shall be regulated accordingly.

Prop. 3 - To remove the existing annotation on the Appendix II listing of Eswatini’s southern white rhino population

• CoP19 Prop. 3 - Proponent: Kingdom of Eswatini
  
   
• To remove the existing annotation on the Appendix II listing of Eswatini’s southern white rhino population, adopted at the 13th Conference of Parties in 2004, so as to enable Eswatini to realise full Appendix II status for its white rhinos as provided for in Article IV of the Treaty, thereby permitting the regulated legal trade in Eswatini’s white rhinos, their products including horn and derivatives.

Prop. 4 - Amendment to Annotation 2 pertaining to the elephant populations of Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe

• CoP19 Prop. 4 - Proponent: Zimbabwe
  
   
• Annotation 2 provides the following and the proposed amendments are shown in strike through…

Prop. 5 - The inclusion of all populations of Loxodonta africana (African elephants) in Appendix I through the transfer from Appendix II to Appendix I of the populations of Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe

• CoP19 Prop. 5 - Proponent: Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Mali, Senegal
  
   
• This amendment is justified according to the following criteria under Annex 1 of Resolution Conf. 9.24 (Rev. CoP17), Criteria for amendment of Appendices I and II:
  
  
  
  "C. A marked decline in population size in the wild1 , which has been either:
  
  
  
  i) observed as ongoing or as having occurred in the past (but with a potential to resume); or
  
  
  
  ii) inferred or projected on the basis of ...the following:
  
  - a decrease in the area of habitat
  
  - levels or patterns of exploitation…”

Prop. 16 - Inclusion of the helmethead gecko, Tarentola chazaliae, in Appendix II

• CoP19 Prop. 16 – Proponent: Mauritania, Senegal
  
   
• Inclusion of the helmethead gecko, Tarentola chazaliae, in Appendix II in accordance with Resolution Conf. 9.24 (Rev. CoP17), as the species satisfies criterion A and B of Annex 2(a): It is known, or can be inferred or projected, that the regulation of trade in the species is necessary to avoid it becoming eligible for inclusion in Appendix I in the near future; and it is required to ensure that the harvest of specimens from the wild is not reducing the wild population to a level at which its survival might be threatened by continued harvesting or other influences.

Prop. 40 - The proposal is to list the family Rhinobatidae (guitarfishes) in Appendix II.

• CoP19 Prop. 40 – Proponent: Israel, Kenya, Panama and Senegal
  
   
• The family Rhinobatidae contains 37 species of guitarfishes (listed in Annex 1 of this proposal); 35 of the 37 species are in decline, 23 of the 37 are classified by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as Endangered; and 10 of them are Critically Endangered. 
  
  
  
  The proposal is to list the following six Critically Endangered species in Appendix II in accordance with Article II, paragraph 2(a) of the Convention. All six species meet the biological criteria in Res. Conf. 9.24 (Rev. CoP17), Annex 1, paragraph C.
  
  
  
  1. Acroteriobatus variegatus
  
  2. Pseudobatos horkelii
  
  3. Rhinobatos albomaculatus
  
  4. Rhinobatos irvinei
  
  5. Rhinobatos rhinobatos
  
  6. Rhinobatos schlegelii

Prop. 46 - Inclusion of all African populations of Afzelia africana, A. bipindensis, A. pachyloba, and A. quanzensis in Appendix II

• CoP19 Prop. 46 - Proponent Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, European Union, Liberia and Senegal
  
   
• Inclusion of all African populations of Afzelia africana, A. bipindensis, A. pachyloba and A. quanzensis in Appendix II, in accordance with Article II, Paragraph 2 (a) of the Convention and satisfying Criterion B of Annex 2 a of Resolution Conf. 9.24 (Rev. CoP17) and, because of their similarity, all other African populations of the genus Afzelia in Appendix II, in accordance with Article II, Paragraph 2 (b) of the Convention and satisfying Criterion A of Annex 2 b of Resolution Conf. 9.24 (Rev. CoP17)

Prop. 50 - Inclusion of all African populations of Pterocarpus species in Appendix II of CITES

• CoP19 Prop. 50 – Proponent: Côte d'Ivoire, European Union, Liberia, Malawi, Senegal, and Togo
  
   
• Inclusion of all African populations of Pterocarpus species in Appendix II of CITES with annotation #17, including already listed species P. erinaceus (CoP17, no annotation) and P. tinctorius (CoP18, annotation #6) in accordance with Article II, paragraph 2 (a) of the Convention.
  
  
  
  Considering that:
  
  
  
  - CITES Appendix II must include all African populations of Pterocarpus species, which although not necessarily now threatened with extinction may become so unless trade in specimens of such species is subject to strict regulation in order to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival, and
  
  
  
  - Domestic and international experience has indicated that enforcement and customs officers who encounter specimens of the African Pterocarpus products are unlikely to be able to reliably distinguish between the various species of the African Pterocarpus,

Prop. 51 - To list African populations of the genus Khaya in CITES Appendix II

• CoP19 Prop. 51- Proponent: Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, European Union, Liberia, and Senegal
  
   
• To list African populations of the genus Khaya in CITES Appendix II, in accordance with Article II, Paragraph 2 (a) of the Convention and satisfying Criterion B of Annex 2 a of Resolution Conf. 9.24 (Rev. CoP17).
  
  
  
  Annotation
  
  #17 Designates logs, sawn wood, veneer sheets, plywood and transformed wood