153
CITES AT THE BEGINNING OF ITS FIFTH DECADE…
tuna in Appendix I and all species of the family Coralliidae (comprising corals used
in the jewellery industry) in Appendix II, the Doha meeting counts as the most notable
failure of marine species conservation efforts within the CITES. A failure that was too
important to be justifiable and that has seriously called into question the functioning
and effectiveness of the convention.
Three years later, however, the world saw another CITES. The sixteenth meeting
of the Conference of the Parties that took place in Bangkok in March 2013 has been
hailed as a ‘watershed moment’ for the convention itself and for the world’s wildlife.
64
Among other things, the meeting has approved inclusion of a number of new species
in CITES appendices, including inclusion in Appendix II of five commercially
valuable shark species (oceanic whitetip shark, three species of hammerhead sharks
and the porbeagle shark) and all species of manta rays. But the situation is not as
rosy as it seems. Without downgrading its importance, this apparent change in
attitude towards marine species deserves some critical remarks. First, the entry into
effect of the inclusion in Appendix II of the above mentioned shark and ray species have
been delayed by 18 months, i.e. until 14 September 2014,
“to enable Parties to resolve
the related technical and administrative issues”.
65
More than a necessary measure, this
period seems to be a bargaining chip offered to opponents of the shark species listing.
Second, several States have immediately used their right to enter a reservation on
the new listings, including Japan, whose reservation concerns all five shark species.
66
On the other hand, China, a major actor in shark conservation, has advised the
CITES Secretariat that
“while it opposed the inclusion of these shark species in the
CITES appendices … in the spirit of international cooperation under CITES, with full
respect for the decisions adopted at CoP16 …
[it]
will apply the CITES rules to these
species”.
67
Last, but not least, the shark and manta ray species that have been included
in CITES Appendix II in Bangkok represent only a small part of marine species
fulfilling CITES listing criteria. Species in need of protection include other shark and
ray species, discrete high seas fish stocks,
68
red and pink corals, to name but a few.
The relative success of the sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties should
64
Cf.
paper of John E. Scanlon, CITES Secretary-General, published in the special issue of
Review
of European, Comparative & International Environmental Law
(RECIEL) devoted to CITES:
SCANLON, J. E.
CITES at Its Best: COP16 as a ‘Watershed Moment’ for the World’s Wildlife
.
RECIEL.
2013, Vol. 22, Issue 3, p. 222.
65
See the relevant proposals: CITES.
Sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties. Proposals for
amendment of Appendices I and II
[online]. 2013.
Available at:
http://www.cites.org/eng/cop/16/prop/index.php [
accessed
20-06-2014].
66
The other States include Denmark on behalf of Greenland for porbeagle shark, Guyana for all five
shark species and the manta rays, Iceland for porbeagle shark and Yemen for hammerhead sharks. See
CITES.
New rules for international trade in timber, marine and other wild animals and plants come into
force
[online]. Press release. 2013.
Available at:
http://www.cites.org/eng/news/pr/2013/20130614_cop16_decisions.php [
accessed
20-06-2014].
67
Ibid.
68
This means fish stocks that appear only on the high seas (they do not migrate to zones under national
jurisdiction), whose exploitation is almost unregulated by international law.