As we mark the 50th anniversary of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora on World Wildlife Day 2023―and recognizing that we are driving the planet’s sixth mass extinction―we should reflect on the evolution of the world’s most significant international conservation agreement.
Affectionally know as CITES, the original agreement among a handful of nations covered only a few species. Now it boasts 183-member countries and the European Union and regulates the international trade in nearly 40,000 species of wild plants and animals. It is truly a global agreement that seeks to ensure the international trade in listed species is both legal and sustainable.
Along with the growth in national participation and species listings, CITES has seen growth in civil society participation. Although only CITES Parties may vote, non-governmental and intergovernmental organizations, other treaty organizations, industry representatives, trade groups, and others also participate. This includes speaking on the floor of its meetings, participating in working groups, holding side events, and influencing CITES decision making.
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums has long participated in the CITES meeting of the Conference of Parties (CoP) held every three years, where listing decisions are taken, resolutions are developed and amended, and decisions that guide intersessional work are approved. AZA also participates in intersessional bodies that guide CITES work between CoPs, including meetings and working groups of its Animals Committee and Standing Committee.
Zoological community representation within CITES has historically been limited, but at the recent CITES CoP, held in November 2022 in Panama City, Panama, we stepped up our game. AZA’s delegation was its largest ever, with nine people, including five from member facilities. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance in San Diego, Calif., and Wildlife Conservation Society in New York, N.Y., also sent delegations, as did our counterparts at the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, European Association of Zoos and Aquaria, and the Zoo and Aquarium Association Australasia.
Why this level of investment? Because of what we have to offer and what we have at stake. Historically, we have been viewed in CITES as an industry group, a regulated sector. Certainly, CITES decisions impact our ability to move animals internationally, imposing restrictions and costs through the increased regulation of trade and the associated permitting requirements. But approaching CITES through the lens of our own interests perpetuates the perception that we are only in it for what we get out of it. Although a CITES CoP agenda may include 50 species listing proposals and a hundred other agenda items, only a handful are likely to impact our business.
On the other hand, we bring expertise to almost all items on a CITES CoP agenda. We have experts and specialists in field conservation, wildlife transport, taxonomy, animal care and wellbeing, animal population management, and other relevant areas. We have experience reducing consumer demand and supporting law enforcement. We can bring this expertise to bear both to improve CITES decision-making and help Parties implement the treaty. In doing so, we build a reputation as reliable sources of expertise and we act on our principles and positions. As the board affirmed in July 2020:
“AZA supports legal, sustainable, ethical wildlife trade that does not pose a threat to the conservation of species or human or animal health. AZA recognizes that illegal wildlife trade is a multi-faceted, international crisis that has devastating impacts to both animals and humans.”
As we look back on the first 50 years of CITES, we see a treaty that has grown dramatically and is a growing force for conservation. Most recently, we’ve seen a willingness to list commercially exploited timber and fishery species such as rosewood and sharks, to prioritize the impacts of trade regulations on livelihoods, and to consider animal wellbeing in decision-making. As we look forward, there is every reason to believe these trends will continue, while other opportunities will arise, such as the potential for CITES to curb zoonotic disease risk.
With change comes opportunity. AZA’s opportunity is to invest in the next 50 years of CITES, to use our expertise to influence outcomes for the benefit of wild animals and plants and the communities that rely on them. In doing so, we will enhance our reputation as objective conservation partners and as a positive force for change.
Dan Ashe is the president and chief executive officer at AZA.
Craig Hoover is the executive vice president at AZA.
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