EU need to prioritise CITES designations

Elephants, sharks, bluefin tuna and polar bears will be high on the agenda at the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) meeting in Doha, Qatar, 13-25 March.

The EU could have a powerful presence if member states can agree on their priorities, as with 27 member countries, the EU has 15% of the vote. With six weeks to go, the EU’s position is still not finalised, though it appears bluefin tuna, red corals, sharks, polar bears and elephants are high on the list.

However, a decision on whether to ban the trade in bluefin tuna is dividing the EU. Last year a majority of member states backed a proposal for a trade ban of the fish, but six Mediterranean countries blocked the idea. This blocking minority is now beginning to fracture – Italy announced last month that it was open to a trade ban and France has now announced it would support a ban if its introduction is delayed by 18 months.

A major question to be resolved is how far CITES can be extended to other marine creatures, such as sharks.

In the past fish have rarely been added to CITES lists because international agencies and fisheries ministries have preferred not to spread power over sea life too widely. In 2007, an EU plan to put two shark species on the list failed, not least because Europe’s own fisherman play their part in exhausting stocks.

Now the EU have introduced catch quotas and a plan aimed at protecting sharks, it is trying once again for listing, but strong resistance is expected from the Asian countries, especially Japan.

At the last count, 175 countries, including all EU member states, had signed the Convention, which was created to stop plants and animals from being traded into extinction. In theory, the Convention is all about science, but unlike many of the species it tries to protect, politicians will never be extinct.

Category: Conservation, Other Organisations