IUCN/TRAFFIC Analyses of CITES CoP19 listing Proposals available online

TRAFFIC at CITES COP19

Since its formation, advising and supporting the decision-making process, as well as the implementation and enforcement of CITES has been at the heart of TRAFFIC’s work. It supplies impartial wildlife trade information and, jointly with IUCN, has just completed its evidence-based expert analyses. This is designed to support the Parties of CITES in their task ahead when they meet in November in Panama to decide on the 52 proposals submitted by the Parties to amend the list of wild species protected by CITES against over-exploitation through international trade.

IUCN and TRAFFIC’s Analyses provide an expert assessment of the proposed amendments against the requirements of the Convention’s listing criteria. These Analyses are produced to give CITES Parties unbiased and relevant information to inform their decision-making on whether the species subject of the Proposals meet the criteria for amendment of the Appendices. 

Our established expertise and experience allow us to provide Parties with scientific and impartial information that will hopefully assist them in evaluating whether the adoption of the amendment proposals will bring positive conservation benefits for wildlife.”

Paola Mosig Reidl - Co-Lead of Data, Research, and Enforcement Support

The different categories of the CITES Appendices afford varying levels of regulation over international trade and can significantly impact species’ survival. Changes to Appendices I and II are accepted either by consensus or on a simple two-thirds majority of those Parties voting at CoP19:

• Appendix I prohibits international commercial trade in a species
• Appendix II permits international commercial trade only under strict control measures

“Understanding the complexity, nuances and policy implications behind every proposal is extremely difficult for each Party to undertake. Therefore, TRAFFIC will soon provide TRAFFIC’s Briefing Document that summarises the implications and recommendations for each agenda point.” Sabri Zain, TRAFFIC’s Director of Policy.

The IUCN/TRAFFIC analysis of the individual proposals has been compiled also into a single, downloadable Summary of the IUCN/TRAFFIC Analyses of the Proposals to Amend the CITES for CoP19, available in English, French and Spanish, and published at TRAFFIC’s CoP19 webpage. This will be followed by TRAFFIC’s Briefing Document for CoP19, containing TRAFFIC reflections on CoP19 agenda items and TRAFFIC recommendations on all listing Proposals.

TRAFFIC has produced other reports and analyses on issues that will be discussed on the CoP agenda, such as ivory and rhino trade, demand reduction, big cats and non-detriment findings. For example, last month,  a joint report from IUCN and TRAFFIC was made publicly available reflecting the state of the Rhinoceroses trade, TRAFFIC also releases other reports aimed at supporting effective implementation of CITES, such as a blueprint for implementing compliance protocols for the CITES-listed shark stockpiles.