January 18, 2019

CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between governments aimed at ensuring that international trade in wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of their species. The convention was signed in Washington in 1972 and ratified by Switzerland in 1975. The original document is deposited in Switzerland and the CITES Secretariat is based in Geneva. 183 countries have so far signed the agreement, which protects a total of about 5'800 animal species and 30'000 plant species. The various species are classified into three categories according to the degree of their endangerment (Appendices I-III). Depending on the category a species is assigned to, the trade in said species is banned or subject to authorization.

The 57 applications submitted by the member states with proposals to amend the conservation status of animal and plant species have been published on the CITES website. The contracting parties now have time until mid March to submit their comments on the proposals. At the Conference of the Parties (CoP18), which will be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from May 23 to June 3 this year, the parties will decide whether to accept or reject the applications. The conference of the parties is held every three years and is the main decision-making body of CITES.

Many of the proposals sought to strengthen protection for certain species: Several countries have requested that various Appendix II species be reclassified to Appendix I. Others called for an inclusion of species not yet protected by CITES, like giraffes. Israel even went so far as to propose the inclusion of an extinct animal, the mammoth, which would be an absolute novelty in the history of CITES. Trade in mammoth ivory has not yet been restricted, so that there have been repeated attempts to smuggle illegal elephant ivory as mammoth ivory into the legal market. The idea is to curb the illicit ivory trade by including the mammoth in CITES Appendix II.

Unfortunately, some parties submitted proposals to reduce the level of protection for certain animal species. Namibia, for example, applied for authorization of the trade in live white rhinos and products thereof. Eswatini (also known as Swaziland) is also interested in selling rhino horn and has submitted a similar request for its rhino population. Australia submitted six applications to downgrade various species from Annex I to Annex II.  

Remarkably, there were a number of proposals to protect exotic species that have become popular as pets, including various gecko, salamander, turtle, newt, and frog species. Exotic pets are also becoming increasingly sought-after in Switzerland. The proposals submitted clearly show that satisfying the demand for exotic pets has a major impact on the native populations of these animals and can lead to population decimation. Keeping exotic animals as pets poses a threat to species conservation and is also an animal welfare issue, as specific, in-depth knowledge is required for the species-appropriate care of exotic animals. Also, it is often particularly difficult to recognize symptoms of pain and suffering in reptiles, amphibians, and fish. In addition, capture, transport and temporary housing all cause the animals great distress, if they even survive.

TIR is also addressing the problems associated with the exotic pet trade as part of its "International Wildlife Project". It therefore welcomes the proposals by the member states to increase protection for such species and hopes, they will be adopted at the CoP18. TIR will continue to keep close track of the activities of the CITES bodies and is committed to seeing that as many animal species as possible benefit from CITES protection and that animal welfare aspects are also taken into account in the future.

Further information:

• CITES press release of January 4, 2019
• List of proposals by the member states