CITES CoP16 Digest - Species Survival Network

DOCUMENT BACKGROUND / CURRENT STATUS EFFECT OF DOCUMENT SSN VIEW
Continued
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convene a workshop for Parties on the use of
controlled deliveries (allowing illicit or suspect
consignments to continue in transit with the
knowledge and supervision of the authorities
in order to identify the persons involved); and
··
report on progress at SC65 and SC66 and formulate
recommendations as necessary; and
• SC to review the report and recommendations of
the Secretariat and determine whether any further
actions are necessary.
53.2.2 Report of
TRAFFIC
Cop16 Doc. 53.2.2
• RC10.10 (Rev. CoP15), on Trade in elephant specimens,
requests submission of a report to each CoP
on data held in the Elephant Trade Information System
(ETIS) managed and operated by TRAFFIC.
• The objectives of ETIS are to:
• measure and record levels and trends, and
changes in levels and trends, of illegal hunting
and trade in ivory in elephant range States, and in
trade entrepôts;
• assess whether and to what extent observed trends
are related to changes in the listing of elephant
populations in the CITES Appendices and/or the
resumption of legal international trade in ivory;
• establish an information base to support the making
of decisions on appropriate management, protection
and enforcement needs; and
• build capacity in range States.
• Prepared by TRAFFIC International.
• Covers the period 1996 through 2011.
• Notes that the rate of data submission to ETIS has
increased since CoP15 but that participation by some
countries remains poor.
• Indicates that the amount of seized ivory has escalated
since CoP15 and is currently at its highest level
in the 16-year period examined by ETIS; states that
that “elephants are facing the most serious conservation
crisis since the 1989 trade ban was imposed
under the Convention.”
• Notes that investigation of large-scale seizures should
be prioritized for follow-up attention by the Parties;
currently, lack of forensic examination of source ivory,
absence of itemized inventory lists of contents of
seizures, and failure to conduct dedicated, long-term
investigations along the entire trade chain results in
very few arrests and convictions.
• Concludes that:
• “Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam,
Hong Kong SAR, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and
China are the priorities of greatest concern in the
illicit trade in ivory at the present time.”
• Thailand and China are the most important enduse
markets driving illegal ivory trade today, and
any future decline in illicit trade will depend upon
the actions taken by these countries.
Continued
• SSN urges Parties to take note of the findings in this
report, which indicate the presence of a very serious
elephant poaching crisis.
• SSN strongly urges Parties to address the continuing flow
of illegal ivory into China and Thailand, and China’s failure
to control its legal ivory market.
• SSN notes with concern that, with regard to China, the
TRAFFIC report indicates that:
• there has been an increase in ivory products being
marketed outside of the regulated domestic ivory
trade system;
• a “significant deterioration in China’s domestic ivory
trade control system” and government-accredited
ivory trading retail outlets persistently selling ivory
products without product identification certificates
was reported at SC62 (SC62 Doc. 46.1); and
• the failure of the “legal” ivory market in China has
exacerbated the presence of illicit ivory products in
the Chinese market, and that this "creates an opportunity
for laundering products from illicit sources into
the legal control system".
• SSN notes with concern that, with regard to Thailand, the
TRAFFIC report indicates that:
• Thailand infrequently reports ivory seizure information
to ETIS;
• Thailand’s domestic ivory market is not in compliance
with the requirements for internal ivory markets under
RC 10.10;
Continued
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