Canada and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES): Lessons Learned
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Canada and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES): Lessons Learned on Implementation and Compliance Tanya Wyatt1
© The Author(s) 2020
Abstract Unsustainable and illegal wildlife trade are contributing to the unprecedented levels of biodiversity loss and possible extinction of one million species. Law enforcement and the criminal justice system have a role to play in helping to regulate and monitor such trade. The main international instrument to regulate wildlife trade is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). This mixed methods study researched the lessons learned and best practice in regards to implementation of and compliance with CITES. As part of the study, three countries were identified as case studies and Canada was selected as one of these. Lessons can also be learned from Canada’s Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act, which is cumbersome to update when species protections change within CITES. Canada has several elements of good practice, such as the remit, effectiveness and relationships of the three CITES authorities located within Environment and Climate Change Canada, the public health approach to some wildlife imports, and the protection of native CITES species. CITES needs to be improved to further protect endangered species and lessons from Canada and other countries can contribute to this improvement. Keywords Wildlife trade · Wildlife law · Wildlife trafficking · CITES · Wildlife law enforcement
Introduction One million species are facing human-caused extinction (IPBES 2019). After habitat loss, the second main threat to species is overexploitation, which includes unsustainable and illegal wildlife trade (IUCN 2016; WWF 2017; IPBES 2019). * Tanya Wyatt [email protected] 1
Department of Social Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle, UK
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Overexploitation of wildlife is a ubiquitous problem that, as Schalow (2015) argues, the law deliberately and inadvertently avoids discussing. As animals and plants receive little protection in common law, international conventions are an important means to protect wildlife and habitat (Rodgers 2013). This article is a portion of the findings from a project that sought, in part, to contribute to remedying this lack of attention by gathering data on lessons learned in relation to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). CITES is the key international legal instrument to combat both the overexploitation from the legal trade and the illegal side of the trade. Even though CITES has been adopted by 182 countries and the European Union, implementation of CITES legislation remains inconsistent, compliance at times lacking, and listed species still face extinction (CITES 2016; Reeve 2006; Wyatt 2013). Furthermore, the minimal research that there is related to CITES (Reeve 2002) has largely been limited
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