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A contribution to the global follow-up and review in the 2020 High Level Political Forum (HLPF) on the work of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
ACCELERATED ACTION AND TRANSFORMATIVE PATHWAYS: REALIZING THE DECADE OF ACTION AND DELIVERY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Background
This submission is made on behalf of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
The Earth is home to over 13,000 known species of mammals and birds, tens of thousands of reptiles, amphibians and fish, some 250,000 flowering plants, and millions of insects and other invertebrates. Together these wild animals and plants form an integral part of the natural ecosystem and are also of great economic value, ensuring human well-being by providing food, timber, fiber, fuel, pharmaceuticals, clothing, cosmetics, horticultural specimens and companion animals, amongst many other things.
As shown by the Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, species are being adversely affected by changes in land and sea use, direct exploitation of organisms, climate change, pollution, and invasive alien species. Around 1 million species already face extinction, many within decades, unless action is taken to reduce the intensity of these drivers of biodiversity loss. The global rate of species extinction is at least tens to hundreds of times higher than it has averaged over the past 10 million years. The average abundance of native species in most major terrestrial biomes has fallen by at least 20 per cent, mostly since 1900, and may be accelerating.
Concerned about the over-exploitation of species as a result of unregulated international trade, governments adopted the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) on 3 March 1973 and entered into force on 1 July 1975 and it now has 183 Parties. The Convention places a joint responsibility on producer and consumer Parties for managing international wildlife trade sustainably and preventing illegal and unregulated trade in wildlife. CITES remains one of the world's most powerful tools for wildlife conservation through the regulation of international trade in over 36,000 species of wild animals and plants. CITES-listed species are used by people around the world in their daily lives for food, health care, furniture, housing, tourist souvenirs, cosmetics and fashion. CITES seeks to ensure that international trade in such species is sustainable, legal and traceable and contributes to both the livelihoods of the communities that live closest to them and to national economies for a healthy planet and prosperity, which supports achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The unsustainable use of wildlife is often driven by international trade, both legal and illegal, and has grown dramatically over the past few decades as improved transport systems have made it easier to ship wild animals and plants and their products anywhere in the world. Since CITES entered into force, the human population has virtually doubled, the global economy has grown nearly fourfold, global trade has grown tenfold and technology (including wildlife crime linked to the Internet) has developed enormously. Together these factors have driven up the demand for species used by humans.
CITES is addressing most sustainable developments goals, in particular goals 2, 8, 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17.
