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Campaign Against Canned Hunting (CACH)

Several good reasons to abolish CITES

7/21/2018

11 Comments

 
Picture
The photo above shows the ugly reality of so-called 'lion conservation' in South Africa.
​CITES, DEA, national and provincial conservation structures - abolish the whole damn lot.

An extraordinarily detailed and comprehensive report on the lion bone trade has now been published.

http://emsfoundation.org.za/wp-content/uploads/THE-EXTINCTION-BUSINESS-South-Africas-lion-bone-trade.pdf

Prepared by Michele Pickover (EMS) and Smaragda Louw (BAT) and their teams, this report exposes the utter futility of the existing CITES –led conservation system.  A group of passionate ladies has done what conservation structures have failed to do, namely, investigate the lion bone trade.

No magic involved. The activists simply took the CITES permits which are showered on animal abusers like confetti and verified the information given therein. They had to squeeze copies of the permits out of a secretive and uncooperative SA Department of Environmental Affairs by means of parliamentary questions and applications under the Promotion of Access to Information Act.

They then checked the information given by the exporters and importers of the lion bones. For example if the importer was stated to be Woo Flung Dung at a particular address in Lao PDR or Vietnam, their investigator simply visited the address.

Surprise! Surprise! Most if not all of the names and addresses were either fictitious or false in material respects and linked to internationally known criminal wildlife traffickers. In other words, the entire conservation structure right from CITES down to national and provincial conservationists has been exposed to be a useless bureaucracy. It is quite apparent that CITES permits are being issued to the wrong people for no good reason without any attempt at verification.

Taxpayers’ money that funds these are useless provincial, national and international structures are completely wasted. All existing conservation structures should be abolished on the ground that they serve no useful purpose and replaced with structures that actually try to protect our wildlife.

The narrow interpretation of sustainable use adopted by the South African Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) and provincial structures render themselves irrelevant. How can one possibly tell whether species are sustainably used by simply counting numbers? Surely the condition of the animals should be considered. Are they free-roaming and functioning in the wild?  Or are they miserable prisoners being kept by the hundred in small cages at lion abattoirs awaiting slaughter?

South African conservation structures say that this makes no difference to them because the condition and welfare of the animals is “outside their mandate”.  So what is the point of them?

If CITES and all conservation structures in Africa and Asia were abolished tomorrow there would not even be a ripple. Nothing would change. The free-for-all that currently exists would simply continue, because rapacious and ruthless Asian wildlife traffickers are always ten steps ahead of the useless bureaucracies that pretend to control them.

A few activists have done more for lion conservation than the whole elaborate, bloated, dysfunctional conservation system in South Africa. It would be comical if it were not so tragic.

11 Comments
Nick Ward
7/21/2018 09:59:33 am

On all fronts, transparency and proof is vital. If CITES is part of the problem then something needs to be done. However, there has to be proof of this. I am sure this is in the full report and this in itself should be widely publicised. I would be saddened to find that CITES is supporting the illegal trade by not being aggressive in it's support of our wildlife. But then, if there s a real problem get it out into the public domain and shout about it. Time is running out for a lot of species and we need oust those who are not genuine. I'll keep my fingers crossed that CITES can prove they are the good guys.

Reply
Chris Mercer
7/21/2018 10:42:05 am

Good points Nick.I feel that the mere existence of CITES is counter-productive because conservationists are misled to believe that some protection is being given. So they do nothing.

Reply
Gloria Conte
7/22/2018 06:06:59 am

.

Reply
Anna Grice
7/24/2018 01:20:39 am

Cites has been the worst incompetent ineffective Office and should be replaced urgently so wild life can have a chance to survive! The legacy of Cites is just Tragedy after tragedy! Shameful

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Laura
7/25/2018 08:54:36 am

This is not a problem of the concept of CITES but rather a problem with the enforcement of CITES by the signatories of the treaty. As a conservation biologist I'm telling you that to say CITES should be thrown out is unbelievably irresponsible. If you have no CITES (or similar international checks on import/export of wildlife products) things WILL be catastrophically worse for many many endangered species and there will be no legal recourse. You need to focus on the corruption within the SA government.

Reply
SHIRLI JADE CARSWELL link
7/26/2018 04:07:56 am

Could you point us to a detailed report on the Lion Bone trading that CITES has done? The PDF compiled by Michele Pickover (EMS) and Smaragda Louw (BAT) and their teams certainly seems to be the only one in such detail. What has CITES done about it? Where is the protection for these creatures we are losing? Why is CITES not fighting the government on this relentlessly? Too many questions unanswered. Chris Mercer has been fighting this for decades - What has CITES done besides have meeting after meeting? So yes, unfortunately a body that is suppose to fight and stand their ground seems to be toothless. I applaud the fact that SOMEONE else has put a report together on this, it is so needed. Prove us wrong? What is CITES going to do about it?

Reply
Chris
7/26/2018 06:14:02 am

Hi Shirli
See my reply to Laura in the new blog post above.
Chris
PS Everyone admires the KWC logo that you designed. I have it on the door of my Jeep. I'll send you a photo.

Chris
7/26/2018 06:10:55 am

I beg to differ Laura.
I have posted a comprehensive reply to your comments in a new blog - see above.

Reply
SHIRLI JADE CARSWELL link
7/26/2018 07:12:33 am

Thank you Chris. Simon Espley from Africa Geographic is going to do an article on it - I have sent him your contact details if he needs any clarification. He has the exact same views you have. Oh please do send me a photo of the logo on your Jeep! Chris, please also remember if you need anything else done design-wise, just give me a shout - very important.

Mwana Bermudes link
8/2/2018 07:01:08 am

I fully agree with you Chris, thanks for publishing something that many of us true protectors and lovers of Wildlife think. Just like the UN which basically protects the world business powers and not really the people who need protection i the first place. Replacing Cites with a true nature conservation organization independent from business would definitely be a step forward regarding the survival of our natural world. You got my vote Chris and thanks for your courage, as usual!

Reply
Chris
8/2/2018 07:17:23 am

Thanks Mwana. Is that not one of your lion photos in the blog above?

Reply



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