Two side-events proposed by ACTO approved
The Nineteenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CoP 19/CITES) will be held in Panama City, Panama, on November. The ACTO requested its participation as an Observer Organization in the event. Two side events were proposed and approved by the Convention.
The event Tree species: Amazonian countries with the support of ACTO coordinate efforts for the implementation of CITES will be held on November 22. The event aims to present the proposal for the Amazonian Regional Action Plan for the implementation of CITES aimed at tree species, as well as to share the experience of ACTO, and of the Member Countries, in the strengthening of the regional governance structure with the participation of CITES Authorities and Forest Authorities.
The theme Implementation and results of the Amazon Regional Observatory: effective tools for the Management, Monitoring and Control of Endangered Fauna and Flora Species in the Amazon Region will be presented on November 24.
This event ambitions to disseminate the Amazon Regional Observatory (ARO) to the international community, along with its objectives, vision and mission, its services and tools for strengthening Amazon information management, -with emphasis on the CITES Module as an effective tool to support the implementation of CITES and with emphasis on the cooperation opportunities with the ARO in its different working topics-; it also aims to present the results of the Bioamazon Project as support to the Amazonian countries in the implementation of CITES.
Both events seek to publicize the relevance of the cooperation and articulation work that the eight Member Countries – all signatories of CITES – carry out through the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization to contribute to the regional vision and implementation of CITES in the Amazon Region.
About CITES
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora is an international agreement between Governments. CITES regulates international trade in over 38,000 species of plants and animals, including their products and derivatives, ensuring their survival in the wild with benefits for the livelihoods of local people and the global environment.
CITES is composed of 184 Parties, including States and regional economic integration organizations. The eight countries that share the Amazon region – Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela- are included in this number which are also part of the ACTO.
According to the Convention’s communiqué, CITES Parties submitted proposals to consider stricter trade regulations for nearly 600 species of animals and plants, which are believed to be under increasing threat of extinction due to international trade. In what is perceived as a barometer of the global state of wildlife, less restrictive trade regulations are recommended for only 9 species.
There are proposals to examine regulations on rhinos, elephants, rosewood and other wood species, sharks, orchids, turtles and rhodiol or gold root, for example.
CITES has three Appendices in which species are included according to the needed protection degree in terms of regulating international trade. Listing in Appendix I means that all international trade in specimens of the species concerned is prohibited.
Appendix I means that all international trade in specimens of concerned species is prohibited. Trade of species included in Appendix II is regulated through a permit system. There should be evidence that international trade is sustainable and not detrimental to the survival of species in the wild. Parties may unilaterally request that species be included in Appendix III when they wish to track their international trade and to be able to monitor the effects on the species.
The proposals submitted will be examined at the 19th Conference of the Parties (CoP19), from November 14 to 25, in Panama. This will be the fourth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES to be held in Central and South America and the Caribbean since the Convention came into force on July 1, 1975, but it will be the first CoP to take place in the region since 2002.
With information from CITES
Published in the Bioamazon Newsletter, issue n. 16, July-August 2022.
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