Eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species
Quito, Ecuador, 4 November 2014
Opening Plenary
Statement of the CITES Secretary-General, John E. Scanlon
Minister for the Environment, Lorena Tapia Núñez
Chair elect of the Committee of the Whole, Øystein Størkersen
Executive Secretary, Bradnee Chambers
Distinguished guests, friends and colleagues
It is a great honor to join you in the beautiful World Heritage-listed City of Quito and I extend my deep thanks to the Government and the people of Ecuador for their warm hospitality.
Please allow me also to congratulate the Chair elect of the Committee of the Whole on his election – you are in very good hands, as well as your Executive Secretary both on his appointment and on the energy and creativity he has brought to the Convention.
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CITES and the CMS share common origins, have complementary mandates, and enjoy longstanding and deepening programmatic collaboration.
It was IUCN that first called for these two conventions in the early 1960’s. This call was heeded and enshrined in recommendations adopted at the UN Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment in 1972, which led to CITES and the CMS being adopted within the decade – CITES in 1973 and the CMS in 1979.
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Both CITES and CMS apply to specific species through an intergovernmental process. Today there are over 500 species that are common to both conventions – as can be readily searched on the recently launched Species+ portal – and I acknowledge UNEP-WCMC with whom we partnered in this great endeavour.
Common to both conventions is that biological factors coupled with cross border movement are required to trigger a species being listed under an Appendix. In the case of the CMS, the migratory species cross borders under their own steam by using their feet, wings or flippers – and the CMS works with States to ensure that this migration across national borders can continue unimpeded. A CMS listing is perhaps the world’s Laissez-Passer for migratory species.
Under CITES, species cross national borders by plane, boat and truck through human intervention. The objective of strictly regulating such trade is to ensure it does not threaten the survival of the species in the wild – placing obligations on source, transit and destination States.
When live animals are traded – imported or exported – under CITES authorities must minimize the risk of injury, damage to health or cruel treatment, which is one of the earliest provisions on animal welfare found under international law.
The cross border aspect of both CITES and CMS cannot be achieved without deep international cooperation. Our collective success depends upon such international cooperation coupled with effective domestic action. Both are necessary and CITES and CMS work to support their Parties at all levels both individually and at times collectively.
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Distinguished guests, we hear a lot about synergies between biodiversity-related conventions and my personal bias is towards achieving pragmatic programmatic synergies that have a real impact on the ground – and there is no better example of such synergies in practice than between CITES and CMS.
This week you will consider detailed Action Plans for the argali sheep and saker falcon as well as the Central Asian Mammals Initiative, each of which has been jointly developed with CITES. Through this close cooperation, CITES issues have been directly built into these plans and this initiative. They build on the excellent outcomes from the Action Plan on the saiga antelope, which has resulted in significant improvements in the status of the species.
We are also seeing exciting opportunities emerge for joint work on sharks and rays – an area where CITES Parties took bold decisions at their 16th CoP, in 2013, in bringing five new species of shark and all manta rays under CITES control. The CoP also adopted a revised resolution on how to interpret and implement CITES provisions on taking marine species from the high seas (referred to under the Convention as ‘introduction from the sea’).
And our respective Standing Committees have now both approved a five-year joint work plan agreed between the two Secretariats.
There are many other areas of synergy, including on Species+, InforMEA, national reporting, and the revision and implementation of National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAPs). I could go on but time does not permit me to do so. I would, however, like to acknowledge Elizabeth Mrema for her role in advancing these synergies as well as to thank the Government of Germany for its generosity in funding the first joint CITES/CMS post.
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We are confronting multiple challenges in ensuring the conservation and sustainable use of wildlife, including a serious spike in the illegal killing and related trade in many iconic and lesser-known animal species – such as the elephant, rhino, cheetah and pangolin and many timber species such as rosewood.
The leading role of CITES in combating illegal wildlife trade is well acknowledged – but the CMS also has a complementary role to play, especially in addressing the related illegal taking of animals at the national level that do not enter international trade.
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Distinguished guests, CITES and the CMS, and other conventions in the family of biodiversity-related conventions go to the very heart of international environmental governance and their successful implementation is critical to ensure the survival of wildlife and of our own quality of life.
The CMS – and the various agreements concluded under it – have the opportunity to inspire us all about the natural beauty of wild migratory species and their immense value from multiple points of view.
It is incumbent upon all of us to do everything we can to assist States make best use of these well-targeted legal instruments and I commend everyone here for raising the profile and enhancing the effectiveness of this important convention. Our Chief of Scientific Support Services, David Morgan, will be here all week to support you in your endeavors.
Thank you for inviting me to join you today and I wish you every success with your meeting.
It is time for action!