Mountain vipers and iguanas at risk, in rare company in key wildlife conversations

Ethiopian mountain vipers, Galapagos iguanas and Brazil’s Pernambuco tree, prized by violin bow makers, are just three of more than 30 species that could be listed for special protection under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

“Because trade in wild animals and plants crosses borders between countries, the effort to regulate it requires international cooperation to safeguard certain species from overexploitation.” CITES said in a statement.

Today, the Convention covers trade in more than 40,000 species of wild animals and plants. CITES State Parties can add more species by submitting proposals that are considered at meetings held every three years.

“The proposals to be discussed highlight how scientists continue to address the conservation and sustainable use of species that are not only biologically unique, but also culturally, economically and ecologically significant,” said Thea Carroll, Head of the Scientific Unit of the CITES Secretariat, speaking in Geneva.

The final proposals scheduled for discussion in the Uzbek city of Samarkand include a variety of permanently endangered wildlife, such as elephants and rhinos, along with what must surely be the latest CITES candidate, the golden-bellied mangabey monkey.

Additional protection claims alongside these natural charmers include possibly less obvious candidates, including the giant Galli wasp (all 32 centimetres), moths, frogs, sea cucumbers, abalones and other commercially exploited aquatic species.

It has been 50 years since the CITES convention came into force, although it was originally conceived a decade earlier at a meeting of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The Convention is just one of several international agreements aimed at protecting the planet’s biodiversity. It specifically addresses the regulation of the international wildlife trade, which is estimated to be worth billions of dollars and includes hundreds of millions of plant and animal specimens.

success stories

The Convention has been behind conservation success stories, including the South American vicuña (a small camel) and the Nile crocodile.

Their survival was assured when CITES supported national efforts to turn their wool and skins, respectively, into valuable, sustainably managed products that benefit local communities.

Overexploitation for international trade represents a major threat to wildlife, but other risk factors include disease, pollution, habitat loss or habitat fragmentation.

Who protects the protectors?

The critical biodiversity protection role played by CITES has not protected it from a serious funding crisis for multilateral work everywhere, the organization’s Secretary-General Ivonne Higuero has warned.

“We are all fighting,” he told reporters in Geneva. “All UN entities are struggling right now with budgetary issues. There is a drop in contributions from member states, from our parties, and this is becoming very difficult for us to operate.”

Ms. Higuero added: “We have not been receiving the expected contributions from the parties that are assessed according to the UN scale and, of course, we have arrears and payments. So this is one of the things that we will also discuss.”