Governments Safeguard Sturgeon, Tropical Hardwood

BANGKOK, Thailand, October 8, 2004 (ENS) - The five countries surrounding the Caspian Sea have agreed to reduce their caviar export quotas for this year, to allow sturgeon species to recover. The new export quotas were announced here today at the meeting of 166 governments that are Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan have agreed on a new approach to managing sturgeon stocks and the caviar trade that gives the Caspian countries an economic incentive to reduce illegal harvesting and promote sustainable fisheries management.

Beluga sturgeon, source of the prized beluga caviar. (Photo by Johnny Jensen courtesy CITES)

The quota for stellate sturgeon has been reduced by 40 percent compared to 2003. The levels of caviar from Russian and Persian sturgeon have been cut by 10 percent. These will now be considered the new base levels for discussions on quotas for future years, the CITES secretariat says.

"The Caspian states have agreed to reduce substantially their caviar exports this year. They have achieved these reductions through adjustments to the total harvest of sturgeons and through an increase in the amount of harvested sturgeons devoted to hatchery conservation programs," said Dr. Jim Armstrong, CITES deputy secretary general.

"The new approach agreed here gives the governments a strong economic stake in tackling illegal fishing. As the illegal trade declines, legal exports - and thus government earnings - will rise accordingly in future years," he said.

This same new approach - combining a strengthening of conservation measures with tighter regulations to combat illegal markets - will be extended to all the major sturgeon producing basins, including the Black Sea, the Azov Sea and the Amur River - if CITES delegates approve the Secretariat's resolution next week.

Ramin Protection Approved

CITES Parties voted today to protect the ramin, a tree found in peat swamp forests in Indonesia and Malaysia. Valued as timber, these forests are also valuable as the last refuges for the critically endangered orangutan, Asia’s only great ape. Indonesia had asked the CITES Parties to agree to international trade controls for ramin, in an attempt to tackle rampant illegal logging and trade in the timber.

Ramin, a blond hardwood, is used for pool cues, dowels, mouldings, window blinds, baby cribs and picture frames.

The Parties decided to list ramin on CITES Appendix II, which allows trade in the species with written permits and only if it does not lead to the species' extinction.

The peat swamp forests of Sarawak, Malaysia were the first forests to be logged commercially due to their easy access and the occurrence of the highly valuable timber, ramin, Gonystylus bancanus. (Photo courtesy Government of Sarawak)

"To date, neither Malaysia, Singapore nor Indonesia have stopped the regional illegal trade in ramin logs, squared off logs and sawntimber," said Rey. "This decision will inject the necessary legal support to achieve the protection of the threatened areas where this tree is found."

Research by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and Indonesian environmental group Telapak has revealed how ramin illegally cut in Indonesia is smuggled via Malaysia and Singapore to end markets in Europe, the United States, China and Japan. In one recent case, investigators posing as buyers infiltrated and exposed a sophisticated smuggling network operating from a port in Malaysia. The multi-million dollar operation was handling more ramin than is legally produced worldwide.

"This is a great step forward in protecting Indonesia’s dwindling forests, which are home to hundreds of endangered species listed on CITES," said Sam Lawson, EIA Forest Campaigner. "These new CITES measures should help stop the destructive trade in illegal ramin - but they will only work if Parties make a serious commitment to enforce the listing."

WWF and the wildlife monitoring organization TRAFFIC applauded the decision to protect ramin. They said this listing will ensure that export volumes of ramin are maintained within levels that will ensure the species’ survival in the wild, assist range states in tackling illegal logging, and stimulate international cooperation to control the illegal trade of this tropical hardwood.

It could also provide increased assurance to importers and consumers that ramin they purchase is not from illegal or unsustainable sources.

"After today's vote, the future of ramin and the species who live in these forests looks brighter," said Dr. Susan Lieberman, who heads the WWF delegation at the CITES meeting. "The spiral of decline of this species had to be stopped. The 166 CITES member governments responded positively to Indonesia's request, and now listing of ramin in Appendix II is the appropriate response, as it will require global cooperation among both exporter and importer countries."

There are 30 species of ramin, which is found from the Solomon Islands and Fiji to Malaysia, Indonesia, and Nicobar Islands. Seven of these species are known to be commercially valuable, and 15 species are listed as vulnerable in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Governments Back Strict Enforcement of CITES Trade Rules

CITES Parties Thursday unanimously approved tighter enforcement measures designed to crack down on illegal wildlife trade. The proposal by Kenya recommends regional law enforcement networks, cohesive national action plans to improve enforcement, improved training and capacity building for wildlife law enforcement officers, and improved collaboration between law enforcement agencies both nationally and internationally.

Elephants in Kenya's Samburu Game Reserve (Photo courtesy Galen Frysinger)

"For instance," he said, "poacher gangs have killed 108 elephants and 33 Black rhinos in the past two years. Law enforcement officers have also seized 253 pieces of ivory totaling 1,223 kilograms in 53 incidences across the country."

"The truth is that wildlife means much more than our heritage," said Khaniri, "it defines Kenya as a nation."

In discussions about the proposal, Ghana called for capacity building, and Jordan urged a stronger political will to carry out stricter enforcement. WildAid Foundation Thailand called for better regional networking, which the group said is the main obstacle to enforcement. Delegates adopted the proposal, including Zambia's proposal to include prosecution authorities.

"For the first time, CITES is taking wildlife law enforcement seriously," said Peter Pueschel, head of the CITES delegation from the International Fund for Animal Welfare. "The adoption of these recommendations will give CITES teeth in combating the growing and increasingly sophisticated trafficking of endangered species."

IFAW is working with the international police force Interpol to promote Ecomessage – a tool which improves the sharing of wildlife crime intelligence among international law enforcement agencies.

"IFAW is offering an award of $30,000 in training or law enforcement equipment to the agency that files the Ecomessage that makes the most significant contribution to the fight against criminals who illegally traffic in protected wildlife," said Pueschel.