Highlights and images for 3 October 2018

Summary

A display showcasing Russia's biodiversity outside the venue

The 70th meeting of the Standing Committee (SC) of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) reconvened for a marathon session on a rainy day in Rosa Khutor, Russian Federation. In the morning, participants dove into elephant issues. The CITES Secretariat emphasized the need to continue to ban domestic ivory markets, to consider unintended effects of bans, the need to effectively regulate online markets, and enforce existing laws. It also highlighted a drop in the number of ivory seizures in 2017, noting however that the level of poaching remains of concern, especially in central Africa. Several countries reported on national efforts and international collaborations to control trade in elephant specimens. The discussion on Asian Big Cats brought to the fore the emerging illegal trade in jaguar and their parts. Brazil and Peru noted that the Asian demand for tiger parts is driving a trade in jaguar parts, including in Bolivia. The afternoon and evening sessions continued with discussions, among others, on:

the African lion, and the SC supporting the announcement by the CMS Secretariat to convene the Second Meeting of Range States for the Joint Convention on Migratory Species/CITES African Carnivores Initiative in November 2018;
new resolutions on Strategic Vision and Establishment of Committees;
annotations; and
engagement with rural communities.

IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and a summary and analysis report from the 70th Meeting of the CITES Standing Committee.

Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth

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