Seeds of Hope at CITES CoP20
In this blog, JGI wildlife crime expert Dr Zara Bending shares some of her takeaways from CITES CoP20 (the 20th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which took place from November 24th – December 5th in Samarkand, Uzbekistan).
Crunching numbers for CITES CoP20
- Nearly 3500 participants attended
- 38 of 51 proposals were adopted (12 concerning flora, 39 concerning fauna)
- 350 decisions were adopted
- 45 votes were held
- Around 75 new species were added to the Appendices (providing greater protection)
Progress on great apes and fighting wildlife crime
We thank all those delegations who committed time and resources to matters concerning great apes (Hominidae spp.)
We welcome the decisions adopted on 4th December
- Taking steps to re-establish and convene a CITES Great Ape Enforcement Task Force (which amongst other measures will address mistaken or falsely applied source codes)
- Encouraging affected party nations to increase domestic enforcement operations targeting illegal trade in great apes
- Prioritising disposal of live confiscated specimens to country of origin (or, failing that, to an accredited sanctuary within the natural range of the species)
- Avoiding trade in live specimens sourced from the wild, confiscated, or of unknown origin other than in exceptional circumstances
- Encouraging collaboration in repatriation efforts
These decisions relating to great apes were part of a broad range of efforts taking aim at wildlife crime. For example, Parties adopted enhanced measures on online wildlife crime, corruption, illicit financial flows, and annual illegal trade reports. New directives were also adopted for a wide range of species threatened by wildlife crime including pangolins, totoaba, tortoises, cheetahs, and Asian big cats. Ongoing collaboration and enforcement efforts to combat wildlife crime were on-show during CoP (including the vital work of the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime) and side-events including a high-level event co-hosted by the Wildlife Justice Commission and Nigeria.
Major wins for sharks and rays while eels and sea cucumbers left at-risk
CoP20 saw unprecedented levels of support for the conservation of sharks and rays through the adoption of some of the strongest protections in CITES history. Oceanic whitetip sharks, whale sharks, manta rays and devil rays were uplisted to Appendix I; and wedgefish, giant guitarfish, school sharks, smoothhounds, and gulper sharks received new zero-export quotas or Appendix II.
The increase in political will around marine species has been an encouraging trend over the last few CoPs as CITES has traditionally skewed towards charismatic, terrestrial megafauna. However, there is more work to be done to conserve marine and freshwater species. For example, despite knowledge of the threats posed to sea cucumbers, including the luxury food market, only the golden sandfish sea cucumber was given Appendix II protection. We were also particularly disappointed to see the proposal to list all freshwater eel species fail despite wide recognition of issues around illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUU). The trafficking of eels is one of the most lucrative forms of transnational organised crime in terms of ROI, and without more universal protection it is likely that crime is simply displaced from one species to another. Read more from the Sustainable Eel Group.
Life on Land: from pachyderms to primates, reptiles to raptors
Back on land, Parties chose to align its nomenclature with contemporary science, now recognising two species of African elephant: the African savannah elephant (Loxodonta Africana) and African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis). Accurate classification is essential to monitoring wild populations and making targeted interventions for their conservation. Thanks to strong regional representation, two critically endangered species of African vulture received Appendix I listings, as did okapis and golden-bellied mangabeys. Golden-bellied mangabeys face a range of threats including the wildmeat trade, exotic pet market and habitat loss. Some of the intercepted and seized mangabeys have found sanctuary with our friends at JACK Primate Rehabilitation Centre in the Democratic Republic of Congo over the years. African hornbills, dorcas gazelles, striped hyenas and two-toed sloths were listed on Appendix II. Reptiles threatened by the global trade in exotic pets also gained ground including two species of Australian gecko: the Mount Elliot leaf-tailed gecko (Phyllurus amnicola) and the ringed thin-tail gecko (Phyllurus caudiannulatus), Ethiopian mountain adders and Galápagos iguanas.
An attempt by Canada and the United States of America to downgrade protections for peregrine falcons was unsuccessful. Likewise, Namibia’s proposal to alter the listing of its elephants and rhinos to allow it to trade in ivory and rhino horn was voted down, as was a proposal to remove protections against international trade from giraffe populations in Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
We were disheartened to see the removal of trade controls for long-tailed macaques from breeding centres in Lao PDR and Cambodia at the Standing Committee meeting prior to CoP20 despite multiple high-profile cases involving fraudulently declared wild-caught macaques being laundered into trade including biomedical research stock. We are also cautious of the decision to reopen international commercial trade in saiga horn from Kazakhstan subject to new quota rules. While wild populations bounced back from below 50,000 to nearly 4 million today, demand in traditional medicines persists, enforcement agencies still struggle to determine whether horns are legally or illegally traded and smaller populations face ongoing threats including habitat degradation and disease.
Remembering Jane
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to those who co-hosted and contributed to a memorial side-event commemorating the life and work of our founder, Dr Jane Goodall DBE, UN Messenger of Peace, including the International Primate Protection League, Humane World for Animals, Born Free Foundation, Pan African Sanctuary Alliance, World Parrot Trust, International Fund for Animal Welfare, CATCA Environmental and Wildlife Society, and Ecoflix as well as (and in particular) Ian Redmond OBE, Will Travers OBE, Vivek Menon, Matt Collins and Ivonne Higuero.Overall, we were encouraged by some major moves forward but remain concerned over how trade controls will be implemented and what impacts, intended or inadvertent, will occur as a result. It was also heartening to see strong representation from Parties whose delegations have previously been less vocal, for example Samoa, Fiji and the Solomon Islands took centre stage in discussions around sharks and rays. Moving forward, it is clear that whilst the Convention plays a vital role in protecting Earth’s precious wildlife, it is in desperate need of greater capacity and resources. We maintain our position alongside our colleagues at the Global Initiative to End Wildlife Crime that other instruments and frameworks in international law could help to relieve that burden while taking sharper aim at the international illegal trade in wildlife. We are hopeful that 2026 brings further dialogue, collaboration and agreements to that end.
Want to learn more? Read the Earth Negotiations Bulletin Summary Report on CITES CoP20 here.
What is CITES?
CITES opened for signature on 3rd March 1973 and entered into force on 1st July 1975. World Wildlife Day is held each year on the 3rd of March for this reason, and the Convention currently boasts a wide membership of 185 Parties. The aim of CITES is to ensure that international trade in wild animal and plant species does not threaten their survival. CITES Parties regulate the trade of species listed in three CITES appendices. Appendix I-listed species are threatened with extinction and commercial international trade in these species is prohibited but for very specific, exceptional non-commercial cases. Appendix II-listed species may become endangered if trade is not regulated (and so trade controls are implemented to avoid them being uplisted to Appendix I), and Appendix III-listed species are subject to domestic regulation by a Party requesting the cooperation of other Parties to control international trade in these species. For a species to be listed on either Appendix I or II, a Party must submit a proposal with accompanying information on trade trends as well as scientific and biological data. Proposals require a two-thirds majority for adoption. Decisions to up-list or down-list can be revisited by the Parties as populations increase or decrease (e.g. if measures to prohibit trade or manage populations more sustainably have a positive or adverse impact).
Data from 2024 indicates that over 40,900 CITES-listed species, including around 6,610 species of animals and 34,310 species of plants. Parties regulate international trade via a permit and certificate system for imports, exports and introductions from the sea. Each Party is required to adopt national legislation and appoint a Management Authority and Scientific Authority to implement its obligations. Trade records are reported annually to the CITES Secretariat. While the Parties have convened roughly around every two to three years since CoP1 in 1976, the operational bodies of CITES (including the Standing Committee, Plants Committee and Animals Committee) carry out the massive intersessional workload crucial to the Convention’s operation.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Danny Skilton
