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Convention on Biological DiversityPlant Conservation Report Page 32TARGET 11:NO SPECIES OF WILD FLORA ENDANGERED BYINTERNATIONAL TRADEIntroductionMany countries have indicated ongoingactivities on Target 11 which is linkedto the national implementation of theConvention on International Trade in EndangeredSpecies of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Inresponse to paragraph 11 of decision VII/10, thePlants Committee of CITES has submitted to theExecutive Secretary a report which summarizesinformation relevant to this target. The purposeof CITES, as outlined in the CITES StrategicVision through 2007, is to ensure that no speciesof wild fauna or lora becomes or remainssubject to unsustainable exploitation because ofinternational trade. This purpose, central to allCITES activities, is well aligned with Target 11 ofthe GSPC ‘no species of wild lora endangered byinternational trade’. In essence, Target 11 formsthe core business of CITES activities.For plant species already included in CITESAppendix I, the CITES Plants Committee suggeststhat CBD Parties, and in particular their GSPC focalpoints, be aware of the provisions in place throughCITES and that they be provided with a full listthrough the respective convention secretariats.CBD Parties are further encouraged to takeAppendix I species into consideration in theirin situ, ex situ and sustainable use actions (CBDArticles 8, 9 and 10), particularly in actionsoutlined in their National Biodiversity Strategiesand Action Plans (Article 6). For example, CITESParties have agreed to encourage cooperationbetween Parties with ex situ breeding operationsand those with in situ conservation programmes(CITES Resolution Conf. 13.9). CBD Parties maywish to consider similar actions of cooperationwhen developing or updating their NationalBiodiversity Strategies and addressing the GSPC.ProgressApproximately 300 plant species are includedin CITES Appendix I; over 28,000 in Appendix II,including the entire orchid family; and 10 in AppendixAloë species, international trade regulated by CITES(Photo: National Museums of Kenya).Encephalartos latifrons a Critically Endangeredcycad species listed on CITES Appendix 1(Photo: SANBI).III. The implementation of provisions relating toall Appendices should help to implement Target11 of GSPC. International trade in wild specimensof Appendix I species is effectively banned and thismay encourage artiicial propagation of wild speciesreducing the pressure on wild populations. ForAppendix II species, the requirement that a nondetrimentinding be made before trade is allowed
is particularly important. This links trade to themanagement of the species and should help toensure sustainability and reduction of the threat ofover-exploitation .All endangered plant species, which are threatenedat least in part by levels of international trade arecurrently included in the Appendices of CITES.Listing of high value species such as trees tradedfor timber has been particularly slow. Neverthelessthere is now a recognition that CITES can support thesustainable management of timber species and goodcollaboration has developed between CITES and theInternational Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO).The CITES Plants Committee plays an important rolein the provision of biological and other specializedknowledge regarding species of plants that are (ormight become) subject to CITES trade controls. Itsrole is, inter alia, to provide technical support todecision-making about these species. Among others,the terms of reference for the Plants Committeeinclude: undertaking periodic reviews of speciesto ensure appropriate categorization in the CITESAppendices, advising when certain species are subjectto unsustainable trade and recommending remedialaction (through a process known as the ‘Review ofSigniicant Trade’) and drafting resolutions on plantmatters for consideration by the Conference of theParties.recognized standards, both of timber and nontimberforest products, is one mechanism whichshould help ensure that no plant species isendangered by international trade. The valueof both the sustainable harvesting and use offorest products and independent certiication arepromoted through the CBD expanded programmeof work on forest biological diversity.Other measures include the development oflocally-based propagation schemes for threatenedplant species for which there is an internationaltrade demand. The development of such schemesis recommended in the CBD Technical Seriesreport 6 on the sustainable management of nontimberforest resources. 37Trade in HoodiaOngoing actions undertaken for plant speciesincluded in CITES Appendix II can help ensure thatTarget 11 is met. Appendix II species can be subjectto a Review of Signiicant Trade if monitoring of CITEStrade data raises a concern with potentially harmfullevels of international trade in the species. Underthis process, international trade in important listedplant groups such as cycads, tree ferns, agarwoodand some medicinal plants has been analysed,resulting in measures being taken to ensure thatsuch trade is sustainable. Overall, however, CITES hasgiven relatively low priority to plants. One measureto address this is to encourage botanic gardens tosupport the Convention in a variety of ways. Thesecond edition of a CITES Manual for Botanic Gardenshas recently been published in three languages 36 andthis highlights the links between CITES and the GSPC.FutureCITES provides a well-established and successfulmechanism for preventing plant species frombeing endangered by international trade but itsrole is limited to those species that are currentlylisted. More research is needed into the impactof international trade on wild plant speciesand a broader range of management responsesneeds to be developed. Independent certiicationof sustainability carried out to internationally36 www.bgci.org/resources/news/0451Uprooted Hoodia gordonii plant in Tanqua Karroo,Western Cape Province, South Africa (above) andbags of harvested Hoodia (below) (Photos: DavidNewton, TRAFFIC E/S Africa).Hoodia spp. are slow-growing succulentplants that occur in southern Africa. Ten ofthe 16 species are classified as ‘threatened’according to the IUCN Red List categories andcriteria. Traditionally, they are used by the Sanbushmen as a natural appetite suppressant. Astrong commercial interest in the genus hasresulted from the isolation and patenting ofan active ingredient which is claimed to helpweight loss. All Hoodia species were listed inCITES Appendix II in 2005. The listing includesprovisions for labelling products that havebeen harvested in a sustainable way.37 www.cbd.int/doc/publications/cbd-ts-06.pdfPlant Conservation ReportPage 33 Convention on Biological Diversity
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