CAT ISSUES AT RECENT CITES MEETINGS
14TH CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO CITES
3-15 June 2007:
1.
Tiger and
Asian Big Cats
A decision on Asian Big Cat Conservation was ACCEPTED in Committee II (COP14 Com 33) and adopted by consensus in
Plenary (COP14 Plen. 4).
Discussion in Committee II 13 June Session 13 and Session
14 which modified the
Original draft decision submitted by China, India, Nepal and the Russian
Federation (COP14 Com 19).
Original information document upon which the decision was prepared (contains
preamble text (COP14 Inf. 50)
Coverage in Earth
Negotiations Bulletin
Partial transcript of discussion
of this agenda item in Committee II
by Kristin Nowell
This decision was introduced based on the following documents under agenda item 52:
CITES Secretariat report on Asian Big Cats. COP14 Doc. 52
Range State reports on implementation of CITES Res. Conf. 12.5
China COP14 Doc. 52
Annex 1
India COP14 Doc. 52
Annex 2
Kazakhstan COP14 Doc. 52
Annex 3
Malaysia COP14
Doc. 52 Annex 4
Myanmar COP14 Doc. 52
Annex 5
Thailand COP14 Doc. 52
Annex 6
CITES Secretariat report on verification mission to China on Asian big cat
trade control (COP14
Doc. 52 Annex 7)
A handout given to the Secretariat by the owner of the Guilin Bear and Tiger
breeding center, attached by the Secretariat to their report (COP14 Doc 52 Annex 8)
The decision calls for regular monitoring of range State progress on
implementation of Resolution Conf. 12.5
A report released by TRAFFIC at COP14 is an example of progress monitoring:
Nowell, K. 2007. Asian big cat conservation and trade control in
selected range States: evaluating
implementation and effectiveness of CITES Recommendations. TRAFFIC International,
Resolution Conf. 12.5 Asian big cat conservation and trade control
was on the agenda to be merged into a consolidated resolution with other Appendix 1 species COP14 Doc. 20.1
Consolidation was REJECTED by consensus in Committee II (Session 6) and by the Plenary (COP 14 Plen. 4)
1.
Appendix
I African Leopard export quotas for hunting trophies
This proposal was ACCEPTED by consensus in Committee I (Session 2) and ADOPTED in Plenary (COP 14 Plen. 4)
This proposal was WITHDRAWN and an information document was submitted for an Appendix I export quota of 30 (COP14 Inf. 22)
The Appendix I quota was ACCEPTED by consensus in Committee I (Session 2) and ADOPTED in Plenary (COP 14 Plen. 4)
2.
Bobcat Lynx rufus
The
An additional information document was submitted based on the results of
the US-led periodic review of the Felidae commissioned by the Animals Committee
(COP14 Inf. 30)
The proposal was REJECTED by vote in Committee I (Session 7) and in Plenary (COP 14 Plen. 4)
3.
Cat-related
side events at COP14
IUCN held a side event introducing the regional lion conservation strategies that arose out of COP13 on June 8
Powerpoint
presentation
Handout on range
State implementation of the regional strategies
Report on the side event
Home pages of the
Eastern and Southern African regional strategy and the West and Central African
regional strategy
The International Tiger Coalition held a side event 12 June on tiger
conservation and launched the world’s largest tiger photo mosaic on 7 June
4.
Media
coverage of cat issues at COP14
6. Other resources
IUCN Analyses of the proposals
TRAFFIC Recommendations on the proposals
CITES Party comments and Secretariat recommendations on proposals COP14 Doc. 68 Annex 2
13TH CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO CITES
•The Cat Specialist Group at CITES 2004. Article by Kristin Nowell for the Autumn 2004 edition of Cat News.
African Lion
Result:
Bobcat
Result:
Committee I daily report noting the United States'
withdrawal of its proposal
Text of the US withdrawal speech Page 1 Page 2 Page 3
Asian Big Cats
•Conservation of and Trade in Asian Big Cats. CITES Secretariat report on progress since COP12 (COP13 Doc. 28)
Result:
A report by the Environmental Investigation Agency on illegal trade in Asian big cat skins was released at COP13 and helped motivate the new decision.
Requests to increase export quota for African leopards, with comments by
CITES Secretariat
•Namibia (COP13
Doc 19.1)
•South Africa (COP13 Doc 19.2)
Result: Both proposals were accepted. Committee I daily report.
SUMMARY AND DOCUMENTS RE: CAT TRADE ISSUES
FROM THE 12th CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO CITES (
From the CITES 2002 report by IUCN (RichTextFormat)
Agenda Item 32 Conservation of the leopard, snow leopard and clouded
leopard (India)
India presented a revision of the Draft resolution presented in Doc 32,
based on Res Conf 11.5 on the Conservation of and Trade in Tigers and noting
that the word `tigers´ had broadly been replaced by ´Āsian Big Cats´, and that
6 country specific paragraphs were deleted. Resolution Conf. 11.5 on Tigers is
to be repealed as the new resolution refers to wild populations of tigers and
other Asian big cat species - the snow leopard, Uncia uncia, clouded leopard,
Neofelis nebulosa, all species and subspecies of Panthera pardus within its
Asiatic range, and Asiatic lion Panthera leo persica. The Resolution notes the
impact of illegal trade in these species and calls for a number of measures
including legislation and enforcement controls, and recommends the Secretariat
to expand the remit of the CITES Tiger Enforcement Task Force to include all
Asian Big cat species and calls upon governments, intergovernmental
organisations, international aid agencies and non-government organisations to
provide funds and other assistance. In addition, four decisions were adopted.
Two of these are directed to the Standing Committee and two to Parties
regarding reporting of illicit shipments, and encouraging local communities to
play a part in and benefit in conservation of Asian Big Cats and their habitats
and that range states should report to the 49th meeting of the Standing
Committee.
Range States will require assistance in implementing this Resolution, and could benefit from assistance with developing status monitoring and conservation policy from the IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group.
Official CITES documents (mostly PDFs): Asian Big Cats
- Draft Resolution CoP12 Doc. 32 submitted by the Govt. of India: Conservation of the leopard, snow leopard and clouded leopard (original version)
-- Committee II discussions: Changes to
Govt of
-- Resolution Conf. 12.5: Conservation of and trade in tigers and other Appendix-I Asian big cat species. Now in effect, replacing Res. Conf. 11.5 (see below section on tiger trade).
-- Decisions of the Conference of the Parties to CITES in effect after the 12th meeting: Asian Big Cats (12.29-12.32)
-- Resolution and decisions adopted at the Plenary Session (as amended by discussion in Committee II) (page 2 of PDF file)
--49th Meeting of the CITES Standing Committee,
--50th Meeting of the CITES Standing Committee,
CITES 12 Asian Big Cat Briefing Documents
-- WWF and ISLT brochure on endangered Asian leopards
-- Press release: New evidence of growing threats to Asian leopards, says WWF at CITES
-- WWF press release Conservation of Asian big cats boosted at CITES
-- New German Society for Nature report on snow leopard trade data and issues by Birga Dexel The Illegal Trade in Snow Leopards: a Global Perspective
From the CITES 2002 report by IUCN (RichTextFormat) Agenda Item 33 Conservation of and trade in tigers
The report of the CITES Tiger Mission Technical Team was discussed and the recommendations were accepted by Thailand, China and the Global Tiger Forum and the Secretariat acknowledged that Myanmar had submitted a report since the production of Document 33. The Secretariat noted that the work called for at CoP 10 was complete, and Res Conf 11.5 was repealed although oversight of the Conservation of and trade in Tigers will continue through adoption of a resolution on Trade in Asian Big Cats.
Official CITES documents (mostly PDFs): Tigers
- Resolution Conference 11.5: Conservation of and
trade in tigers, adopted at the 11th CoP,
- Decisions Directed to the Parties arising from Res. Conf. 11.5: Re: conservation of the tiger and trade in tiger specimens
- CoP12 Doc. 33: Report by the CITES Secretariatat on implementation of Res. Conf. 11.5, Conservation of and trade in tigers
- CoP12 Doc. 33A: Report of the CITES Tiger
Mission Technical Team visit to
- CITES Committee II minutes of discussions on tiger resolutions:
--
--
- Plenary session decision adopting and endorsing recommendations of Docs 33 and 33A, with amendments from Committee II discussions (page 2 of PDF file)
-- Comprehensive review of tiger trade data and issues in the 2000 TRAFFIC report by Kristin Nowell Far from a Cure: the Tiger Trade Revisited.
From the CITES 2002 report by IUCN (RichTextFormat) Agenda Item 55 operations that breed Appendix I species in captivity
At present there are two Resolutions in effect for registering operations that breed Appendix I animal species in captivity for commercial purposes to allow trade in these species to be exempt from trade controls. The systems for animals has been complicated and the Secretariat put forward a recommendation to use follow the much simpler system that has been used successfully over the past eight years for plants. A working group was formed to discuss this option and the system outlined in resolution Conf 11. Without the list of species was adopted for use in the interim, but the Animals and Plants Committees will look into this issue further.
Item 55.1 and 55.2
A proposal by
Official CITES documents
- CITES Secretariat Notification to the Parties no. 2001/074: Control
of operations that breed Appendix-I species
in captivity for commercial purposes
- CoP12 Doc. 55.2 submitted by the CITES Secretariat: Proposals to register the first commercial captive breeding operation for an Appendix 1 animal species
- ZA 12/2002/1: Information document about the DeWildt Cheetah Breeding Center
- Discussion of the proposal during Committee 1 session (pages 2-3 of PDF file)
- Final vote approving operation registration in the Plenary (page 6 of PDF file)
- Agenda Item 23 Appendix I species subject to export quotas: Doc 23.1.1
Leopards (from IUCN report)
The Secretariat introduced the Report on Implementation of Resolution Conference
10.14 - Quotas for leopard hunting trophies and skins for personal use. The
Secretariat recommended that Resolution 10.14 be repealed. The Committee agreed
to delete Paragraph (e) under Recommends which calls for annual special
reporting requirements on leopards. It also agreed to delete the paragraph
under Directs which directs the Secretariat to recommend the Parties to suspend
imports of leopard trophies and skins from any country granted annual quotas
that has not met the reporting requirements under the aforementioned paragraph
(e). The Resolution as a whole was retained.
Doc 23.1.2 Amendment of leopard quotas of Tanzania
Tanzania introduced their proposal to increase their leopard quota from 250
to 500, on the basis that the original quota was not based on scientific
information and that the leopard population in Tanzania is big enough to
sustain increased offtake. No Parties spoke against the proposal and it was
adopted by consensus.
Official CITES documents
-- Report on implementation of Resolution Conf. 10.14 on quotas for leopard hunting trophies and skins for personal
use
-- Amendment to the quota of the United Republic of
Tanzania (United Republic of Tanzania)
-- Amendment of Resolution Conf. 10.14 passed at the tenth CoP in Harare,
Zimbabwe 1997: Quotas for leopard hunting trophies and skins for personal
use