CITES CoP14 ended with some sound conservation decisions, but also missed opportunities.
CITES CoP14: The Hague, The Netherlands, 3-15 June 2007
Positive conservation outcomes included:
- Listing of European eels on CITES Appendix II
- Listing of seven sawfish species on CITES Appendix I
- Raising captive tigers for trade in their parts was rejected by CITES Parties, with a call on China to phase out its large-scale commercial tiger farms
- African elephant range countries at the meeting agreed to a 9-year suspension of ivory trading. There was also agreement to allow four southern African countries – Botswana, South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe – to sell stocks of their ivory in a one-off sale. Proceeds will go to local conservation efforts. After the sale, the suspension will take effect.
- Delegates adopted an ambitious new strategic vision to link CITES to the broader conservation and development agenda.
However there were also missed opportunities and disappointments:
- CITES parties rejected a proposal to list two shark species highly prized for their meat and fins – spiny dogfish and porbeagle shark – on Appendix II.
- All proposals to list tropical timber species on Appendix II were withdrawn, with one exception – Brazil wood was listed with an amendment to exclude certain items made from it, such as musical bows.
- The decision to list red, pink and other coral species in the genus Corallium on Appendix II was overturned.
More information
First CITES CoP in the EU
CoP14 was the first CITES CoP to be held in the European Union – the top global importer by value of many wildlife commodities, including tropical timber, caviar, reptile skins, and live reptiles. As EU membership has expanded, the EU market for wildlife products has also increased.
The EU has had many significant achievements in wildlife law enforcement. Having the meeting in the EU presented an exciting opportunity to consider how these can be further enhanced through greater national, regional, and inter-regional cooperation.
