Wildlife trade under the spotlight in Uzbekistan

CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) regulates the international trade of plants and animals, and over the next two weeks member governments from around the world will make decisions which could have critical impacts on wild animals. 

CoP20 (the 20th Conference of Parties), taking place in Samarkand in Uzbekistan from 24 November – 5 December, is the ultimate decision-making body of the Convention, and is being attended by government representatives from its 184 member governments, as well as many wildlife protection organisations like Born Free, and trade interest groups.

Which animals could be affected by this year’s CoP?

At the core of CITES is its three appendices: Appendix I, Appendix II and Appendix III. Threatened species that are affected by trade, or may be affected in the future, can be listed on these appendices, which regulate how they can be internationally traded, with Appendix I largely prohibiting all commercial trade, and II and III regulating trade through a system of permits and by encouraging collaboration between countries.

There are several proposals to either add new species or elevate the protected status of species on the appendices, which Born Free strongly supports to prevent the species’ decline. These include:

• Listing okapis, striped hyenas, giant galliwasps and Ethiopian mountain adders, and a species of seed finch, on Appendix I
• Elevating golden-bellied mangabeys (a species of primate), white-backed and Ruppell’s vultures, Galapagos marine and land iguanas, hinged tortoises, oceanic white-tipped sharks, manta and devil rays, and whale sharks, from Appendix II to Appendix I
• Listing Dorca’s gazelles, Hoffmann’s sloths, African hornbills, various seed finch species, pit vipers, various frog species, tope and hound sharks, gulper sharks, freshwater eels, sea cucumbers, sandfish, and tarantula spiders on Appendix II

However, there are also several proposals that aim to weaken or remove CITES protections for some vulnerable species. Born Free strongly opposes these proposals and believes they will legitimise trade in the eyes of suppliers and consumers, increase demand, put already threatened species at increased risk from international trade, and facilitate the laundering of wildlife. These include:

• Amending trade rules for Namibia’s white rhinos, and reducing protection by downlisting its black rhinos from Appendix I to Appendix II, allowing Namibia to trade in rhino horn derived from both species
• Amending trade rules for Namibia’s Appendix II-listed elephant populations, allowing it to trade in elephant ivory
• Removing the Bontebok (an antelope), and southern African populations of giraffes, from Appendix II
• Removing the zero-export quota for Kazakhstan’s Saiga antelope, allowing it to trade commercially under Appendix II rules
• Downgrading Guadalupe fur seals from Appendix I to Appendix II
• Downgrading peregrine falcons from Appendix I to Appendix II, allowing commercial international trade in wild-caught birds

What’s different about this year’s CoP?

This CoP promises to be a critical meeting for several reasons, not least the significant shift in world politics since the last CoP in 2022, toward more populist and libertarian ideas (advocating for more individual freedom and less government intervention) which could affect all types of international trade, including the trade of wild animals and plants.

The United States, for example, has traditionally been a major contributor to CITES and has typically advocated for strong wildlife protections. But the current US government has slashed funding for international projects, putting many wildlife populations at risk and raising concerns that it may not take its usual pro-conservation stance.

Species that Born Free and other charities fight to protect, like elephants, rhino and giraffe, are under threat from countries wanting to trade in high value wildlife products, such as elephant ivory and rhino horn. The trade interests are becoming more coordinated, and gaining more influence within CITES.

The European Union has 27 individual votes, and usually casts them together, which gives it major influence. However, this year it is unclear how the EU will vote on some important issues, including whether to allow the trade of live elephants, with differing opinions among members which may weaken its position.

Additionally, within IUCN (the International Union for Conservation of Nature), groups that support ‘sustainable use’ of wildlife are gaining more power, and there is a concern over the CITES secretariat’s involvement with the Collaborative Partnership on Sustainable Wildlife Management, which appears to be in favour of a highly pro-use agenda.

What will Born Free be doing at the conference?

Born Free will be represented at the CoP by Head of Policy Dr Mark Jones and Senior Policy Advisor Gabriel Fava. Our Executive President Will Travers OBE will also be attending the meeting in his role as President of the Species Survival Network, an international coalition of over 90 wildlife protection organisations committed to the promotion, enhancement, and strict enforcement of CITES, of which Born Free is a founding member.

Alongside the proposals relating to the appendices, CoP20 will be considering more than 100 working documents covering a wide variety of subjects including administrative and financial matters, strategic matters, capacity-building, CITES and people, compliance, illegal trade and enforcement, regulation of trade, and species-specific issues.

Born Free will be working hard to persuade CITES member countries to focus on securing outcomes that protect and enhance the core objective of the Convention: to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of the species.

We will aim to secure greater protections for the welfare of wild animals in trade, through improved Resolutions and guidance on transporting live animals for international movement, and by ensuring that destinations for live wild animals are suitably equipped to house and care for them.

We are also calling for CITES to adopt a Resolution on One Health – asking members to recognise the risks posed to wider animal and human health through the international trade in wild animals, and the need to adopt a highly precautionary approach to wildlife trade.

You can find the Species Survival Network’s summaries of the collective positions the coalition is adopting for CoP20 here.

For the latest updates on the important decisions made at CITES CoP20, keep visiting our news page, and follow @BornFreeFDN on X .