Highlights and images for 8 March 2022

East Caucasian Tur, Phsav-Khevsureti, Georgia. © NACRES

Participants to the 74th meeting of the Standing Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES SC74) worked until late in the evening to keep up with a very dense agenda.

Most of the hours were devoted to the deliberations on compliance matters, as related to the application of Article XIII of the Convention, which allows parties to take remedial action when any species included in Appendix I or II is being affected adversely by trade or when provisions of the Convention are not being effectively implemented.

Among other issues, the Committee addressed the following.

On the application of Article XIII in the Lao People's Democratic Republic, the Committee discussed: progress on the implementation of the SC recommendations regarding the management of exports of Dalbergia spp., the national legislation for the implementation of CITES; the Lao CITES Authorities; law enforcement; and the monitoring of wildlife farms and related trade. The Committee recommended to continue to suspend commercial trade in specimens of the genus Dalbergia spp. and trade in live Asian elephants.
On the application of Article XIII in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Committee discussed progress on the implementation of the SC recommendations regarding quota setting and management; the management of trade in grey parrot; trade in pangolin stockpiles; trade in Pericopsis elata; and illegal trade. The Committee agreed that suspension of trade should stay until the DRC reports on progress made on the implementation of proposed recommendations by 31 December 2022.
On the application of Article XIII in Guinea, the Committee discussed progress made on the implementation of the SC recommendations regarding export of pre-Convention specimens of Pterocarpus erinaceus, but agreed to continued suspension of trade and that Guinea take all the necessary measures by November 2022.
With regard to the National Ivory Action Plans, the Committee issued notification warning to Angola, Cameroon, DRC and Ethiopia, as parties that have not provided their submissions by the deadline, and asked them to submit CITES national ivory action plans (NIAPs) progress reports to the Secretariat within 60 days of the conclusion of SC74; and that Cambodia, Viet Nam and Togo have not achieved NIAP goals.
On totoaba, the Committee decided not to take compliance measures against Mexico, as suggested by the US.