Trade can aid wildlife recovery, latest global confab should admit

Yesterday was the first day of the 20^th meeting of the Conference of Parties (CoP20) to The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) International Affairs Program leads the United States’ involvement at the conference which is taking place in Uzbekistan from November 24 to December 5.

According to the UN’s CITES website, CITES is “an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of the species.” There’s more to this issue though that hopefully will be discussed at the conference.

Specifically, the discussions that take place at the conference over the next several days should recognize that the trading of wildlife and wildlife products can help species recover. Trade creates value, and things that have value tend to be taken care of better since people can benefit economically.

Alternatively, trade bans take away the opportunity for people to benefit economically from wildlife which can hurt recovery. “A worldwide trade ban reduces the incentives of countries to further develop locally appropriate institutions and removes a potential source of income for local people, thereby devaluing the species in their eyes,” Michael ‘t Sas Rolfe, a research fellow at the Property and Environment Research Center has explained.

Additionally, the trade of wildlife and wildlife products can deter unregulated black markets for such products like pangolin scales or rhino horns. “Regular legal sales would lower prices, reducing the incentive for poaching,” the Cato Institute’s Doug Bandow has noted in regards to elephant poaching for ivory.

In fact, restrictions on trade can often lead to worse outcomes for species. Former CEI analyst, Ike Sugg, wrote an easy to read, and in-depth account of a case study where CITES restrictions on trade hurt the recovery of African elephants in his co-authored essay from 1994 titled “Elephants and Ivory.”

For more information on the United States’ involvement in the CITES conference, see the resources below.

Resources on the 20^th Conference of Parties to CITES:

• Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES); Twentieth Regular Meeting; Tentative U.S. Negotiating Positions for Agenda Items and Species Proposals Submitted by Foreign Governments, the Permanent CITES Committees, and the CITES Secretariat
• FWS Proposals for 20th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES
• Preparing for the 20th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES (FWS Document)
• Tentative U.S. Negotiating Positions for the 20th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES