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Last week we introduced the notion of international agreements and described their role in natural resource management and in promoting sustainable development.  In particular we profiled the Convention on Biological Diversity and the importance of this to Swaziland’s biodiversity.  This week we shall discuss the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), another international agreement that impacts on biodiversity and natural resource management.

Trade in wild animals and plants crosses international borders and any effort to regulate it requires international cooperation.  CITES aims to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.  It attempts to deal with issues such as the exploitation of nature for profit and trafficking in illegal goods.

CITES is meant to protect more than 30,000 species of animals and plants, whether they are traded as live specimens, hunted trophies or dried herbs.  However this protection is only realised if countries abide by the principles of sustainable development.

How CITES Works
CITES works by subjecting international trade in specimens of selected species to certain controls.  Basically, all import and export of species covered by the Convention has to be authorized through a licensing system. 

Species covered by CITES are listed in three Appendices, according to the degree of protection they need, for example Appendix I includes species threatened with extinction, whilst Appendix II includes species not necessarily threatened with extinction, but in which trade must be controlled.

Every country must also designate one or more Management Authorities to administer the licensing system and one or more Scientific Authorities to advise on the effects of trade on each species. 

CITES in Swaziland
In Swaziland a large number of species are covered by the CITES Appendices; these include Lion, Southern Bald Ibis, White Rhino and Elephant.

Swaziland recently made international headlines during the Conference of CITES Parties (COP) in Thailand.  This was because the management/scientific authority for CITES in the Swaziland had proposed to down-list the protection afforded to the White Rhino from Appendix 1 to Appendix 2, specifically to legalise trade in live animals and rhinos which had been hunted as trophies.

Conservation NGOs strongly opposed this move: there are known to be only 61 rhinos left in the nation, it was argued that rather than selling off up to 7% of this valuable resource every year, rhinos could be transferred to other protected areas in Swaziland.  Despite this opposition, the proposal was approved and Swaziland was given the go ahead to begin this privatisation of her biodiversity.

CITES and Rural Communities
Communities have an environmental right to access, protect and benefit from natural resources: Swaziland’s biodiversity should belong to her people.  Funds, which could amount to tens of thousands of dollars, raised by any future rhino sell-off should be fairly distributed in the rural communities who are marginalised because of their close proximity to game reserves.  It is well known that these communities are suffering desperately from poverty, drought and HIV/AIDS, tackling these issues head on would represent a sustainable solution to natural resource management in Swaziland.