IELP Goes to Thailand to Protect Endangered Species

October 2, 2004

Bangkok, Thailand

CITES Meeting Opens with Call to Combat "Criminal Activity and Greed"

IELP members arrived in Bangkok a bit weary and bedraggled for the meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and an Academy Awards style opening ceremony, complete with light show, music, and a number of environmental luminaries taking the stage to remind participants of the importance of CITES and protecting the world's natural resources. The Executive Director of the UN Environment Program, Klaus Topfer, urged governments to meet their commitments to significantly reduce habitat and species loss, while the Secretary-General of CITES, Willem Wijnstekers called on governments to find the political will to improve implementation of CITES.

The most impressive speech, however, came not from a professional environmentalist but from Thailand's Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra. The Prime Minister, a former police officer, broke new ground by calling on governments to commit significant resources to enforcement. Enforcement has long been a taboo subject at CITES with governments frequently defeating resolutions for regional enforcement cooperation. The Prime Minister challenged that traditional view, telling his audience that the loss of species and other natural resources "deprives us of our humanity."

Illegal wildlife trade is exceeded in value only by the illegal trade in drugs and guns, and wildlife traffickers often trade in drugs and guns. The Prime Minister spoke movingly of how "wildlife has suffered for profit" and that the world community must improve law enforcement "for the benefit of future generations."

Backing his words with action, the Prime Minister announced that Thailand would take the lead in establishing a regional law enforcement network in Southeast Asia. He then challenged other regions to establish their own enforcement networks so that the regional networks could work together to combat "criminal activity and greed."

The meeting now turns to substance, with more than 50 proposals to add species to, or transfer between, the CITES lists of protected species and another 50 proposals relating implementation issues. IELP has already been busy working with governments and environmental organizations from around the world on several implementation proposals, particularly those relating to permitting.

Links

CITES Secretariat
13th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP13)