Sharks, okapi and African hornbills were among the winners at the recent CITES CoP20 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. But saiga, despite being seen as an international conservation success story, find themselves back in the hunter’s sights.
CITES is a conservation treaty that regulates the international trade in over 40,900 species of wild animals and plants. By moving species to Appendix 1, it provides the highest level of international protection.
Among the most significant decisions at this year’s meeting was the landmark protection given to over 70 species of sharks and rays, considered one of the most threatened group of animals on the planet.
The vote was seen as a last hope for species such as the oceanic whitetip shark, which has been driven to the edge of extinction by the global fin trade. Whale sharks and manta and devil rays were among other species to be given extra protection.
The future of the iconic okapi was also put on a more secure footing. With a range limited to remote forests in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the new listing will help conserve habitat and support anti-poaching efforts.
There was also long overdue protection for African hornbills, whose skulls and casques are heavily trafficked. They now receive the same level of protection as their Asian cousins, partly in recognition of the curial role they play in dispersing seeds across forests and encouraging reforestation.
There was good news for Asia’s big cats too, with increased efforts to phase out tiger farms and prevent breeding for their parts, while efforts by Namibia to allow trade in stockpiles of elephant ivory and rhino horn were voted down.
However, there were some losers, too, and disappointment that proposals to protect all anguillid eel species were rejected. But the biggest surprise was the decision to allow regulated international trade in saiga horn from Kazakhstan.
Last year, successful efforts to conserve the antelope won the Earthshot Prize, with saiga numbers in Kazakhstan back to up around 2.8 million. But the species is prone to sudden die backs and the World Conservation Society has described the decisions to restart the trade as “risky, and premature.”
Top image: Black-and-white-casqued hornbill (Bycanistes subcylindricus). Credit: Getty
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