Hawksbill Sea Turtles Granted a Reprieve
CITES Takes Center Stage in Chile

Just a few months before the start of the 12th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), AWI has learned that one critically endangered species already has been granted a vital reprieve.

Averting a contentious debate, Cuba decided to withdraw its proposal to trade in hawksbill shell internationally. A similar proposal was defeated at the last meeting in Nairobi in 2000. This year Cuba was asking permission to sell 7,800 kilograms of hawksbill sea turtle shell for use in making jewelry and ornaments. Cuba ran into heavy opposition from both its neighbors and sea turtle experts alarmed at the 80% crash in hawksbill populations over just three generations. Cuba's assertion that the turtles in question were a separate Cuban population was also questioned. DNA tests show that the turtles migrate from at least eleven other Caribbean countries where they are considered highly threatened.

Numerous other questions remain for the 158 nations that are Parties to CITES as they convene from November 3-15, 2002 in Santiago, Chile. Over 50 proposals will be considered during the meeting examining the status of various wild species and whether or not those animals and plants should be allowed in international commercial trade. The exceedingly intense, often vitriolic discussions will range from highly charismatic species such as whales, elephants, and sharks to slightly more obscure animals including a number of freshwater turtles and tortoises, lizards, butterflies, and birds.

Species are categorized by CITES on three appendices: Appendix I includes species whose parts and products are banned in international commercial trade due to the danger of extinction; Appendix II includes species who are subject to a regulated international commercial trade to prevent them from becoming threatened with extinction; and Appendix III includes species who individual Parties determine need monitoring to prevent overexploitation.

In all cases, Parties to the Convention must remember to act in the best interest of the species when determining protection levels-use the "precautionary principle." On pages 4 to 9 of this issue of the AWI Quarterly we have outlined some of the looming issues in greater detail.