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National Wildlife Trade Policy Reviews: 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), The Hague (Netherlands), 3-15 June 2007

Research Project

Enhancing National Capacities to Assess Wildlife Trade Policies in Support of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)

> see the project description

Keywords

CITES - National wildlife trade policy reviews

Abstract

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES or the Convention) was adopted by governments in 1973 with a challenging mission: to bring under regulation the international trade in certain wild animal and plant species to ensure that legal trade is sustainable, illegal trade is prevented or punished and, in the best-case scenario, both generate incentives for species conservation.

The States which are party to the Convention contribute to biodiversity conservation through ensuring that any trade which occurs in CITES-listed species is responsibly managed. Conservation is not limited to absolute protection or non-consumptive use. It also includes consumptive use which is sustainable. Economic and trade-related issues are therefore intrinsic to the Convention and trade measures are essential to achieving its objectives. Social and economic issues play a crucial role in biodiversity conservation. Understanding the relationships among the social, economic and environmental aspects of biodiversity conservation is therefore essential to ensure that the Convention achieves its objectives. It is also critical for ‘mainstreaming’ biodiversity conservation considerations into a country’s broader programmes for development and trade.

One way to increase such understanding is through a review of the policies underlying a country’s efforts to implement the Convention. Such policies may relate to biodiversity conservation or natural resource use or trade or socio-economic development.

File(s)

Draft Framework
English | [272 ko] > download
Strategic Matters
English | [50 ko] > download