1

CITES and argali

Workshop

TOWARDS A TRANS-BOUNDARY COOPERATION FOR

THE CONSERVATION OF ARGALI

2-4 December 2012, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

CITES Secretariat

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CITES

• Purpose: ensure that wild fauna and flora in

international trade are not exploited unsustainably

3

• Nearly 35,000 species divided amongst three Appendices

"Species" means any species, subspecies, or geographically separate population thereof

I II

III

CITES Appendices

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CITES Appendices

Appendix I

– Species threatened with extinction, which are or may be affected by trade

– International (commercial) trade in wild-taken specimens generally prohibited

– 655 animal species 298 plant species

• Export/import of hunting trophies is not considered for ‘commercial’ purposes, but for personal use

• Export/import of Appendix-I trophies is possible under very strict conditions

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CITES Appendices

Appendix II

– Species not necessarily threatened with extinction but trade must be controlled to avoid them becoming so

– Species resembling species already included in Appendix II

– International commercial trade is permitted and regulated

– 4,399 animal species 28,679 plant species (97% of all listings)

6 Appendix I Appendix II

Capra falconeri

Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Tajikistan,

Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

Ovis ammon hodgsoni

Bhutan (ex), China, India, Nepal

Ovis ammon nigrimontana

Kazakhstan

Ovis ammon (Except subspecies in Appendix I)

Afghanistan, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,

Mongolia, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Tajikistan

Ovis canadensis

(Population of Mexico; no others in the Appendices)

Ovis vignei vignei

India, Pakistan

Ovis vignei (Except subspecies in Appendix I)

Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Russian

Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

Saiga borealis

Mongolia, Russian Federation (ex)

Saiga tatarica

China (ex), Kazakhstan, Poland (ex), Moldova (ex),

Russian Federation, Turkmenistan, Ukraine (ex),

Uzbekistan

Cervus elaphus hanglu

India, Pakistan (ex)

Cervus elaphus bactrianus

Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,

Turkmenistan (ex), Uzbekistan

Moschus spp. (Only the populations of Afghanistan,

Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan)

Moschus spp. (Except populations in Appendix I)

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Appendix I Appendix II

Capra falconeri

Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

Ovis ammon hodgsoni

Bhutan (ex), China, India, Nepal

Ovis ammon nigrimontana

Kazakhstan

Ovis ammon (Except subspecies in Appendix I)

Afghanistan, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Tajikistan

Ovis vignei vignei

India, Pakistan

Ovis vignei (Except subspecies in Appendix I)

Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

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How CITES works

• CITES regulates export, re-export and import of

– live and dead animals/plants

– their parts and derivatives

• System of permits and certificates

• International trade:

– must be in legal specimens

– must not be detrimental to the survival of the species in the wild

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How CITES works

• All countries that join the Convention:

– Appoint a Management Authority to deliver

permits and certificates, report, communicate,

ensure overall implementation

– Appoint a Scientific Authority to advise on non-

detriment findings

– Adopt legislation for implementation, including

penalties for non-compliance

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Argali range States and CITES

• Afghanistan 1986

• China 1981

• Kazakhstan 2000

• Kyrgyzstan 2007

• Mongolia 1996

• Pakistan 1976

• Russian Federation 1992

• Tajikistan Non-Party

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How CITES works

Similar rules

and

regulations

Similar

requirements

Similar

authorities Similar

procedures

Similar

documents

COMMON

PROCEDURAL

MECHANISMS

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CITES

• Common procedural mechanisms used by 176

countries to regulate and monitor international trade

in listed species

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Argali specimens in trade (2000-11)

bodies

bones

cloth

horns

large leather products

live

skeletons

skin pieces

skins

skulls

small leather products

specimens

trophies

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Trade in Ovis ammon vs. O. vignei

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

Tota

l

O. ammon, exporters' reports,all purposes, all sources

O. vignei exporters' reports, allpurposes, all sources

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Destination of argali specimens (2000-11)

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

Austra

lia

Belarus

CanadaChin

aJa

pan

Mexic

o

New Cale

donia

New Zealand

Norway

Qatar

Russian Federa

tion

Singapore

South A

frica

Switzerla

nd

Ukrain

e

United Sta

tes o

f Am

erica

EU tota

l

Others

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Origin of argali trophies (Tot. 2374; 2000-11)

Uzbekistan

0%

Russian

Federation

4%

Kazakhstan

2%

China

7%

Tajikistan

26%

Kyrgyzstan

29%

Mongolia

30%

Others

2%

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Origin of argali trophies (Tot. 2374; 2000-11)

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

Others

Uzbekistan

Tajikistan

Russian Federation

Mongolia

Kyrgyzstan

Kazakhstan

China

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Non-detriment findings

• Article IV of the Convention

– An export permit shall only be granted when … a Scientific Authority of the State of export has advised that such export will not be detrimental to the survival of that species….

– …..a Management Authority of the State of export is satisfied that the specimen was not obtained in contravention of national laws to protect of fauna and flora;

– …a Scientific Authority shall monitor actual exports…

– …and verify that export be limited to maintain the species throughout its range at a level consistent with its role in the ecosystems and well above the level at which that species might become eligible for inclusion in Appendix I

Trade must be legal, sustainable and traceable

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Non-detriment findings

• CITES can take measures, including trade

suspensions, when:

– Exports take place from Parties with insufficient

CITES legislation

– Exports take place at levels that are found to be

‘detrimental’ or unsustainable, i.e. when no or

inadequate NDF is made

[Review of Significant Trade]

• Trade levels of Ovis ammon have not yet warranted

selection for Review of Significant Trade

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Non-detriment findings

• An NDF requires the Scientific Authority to effectively

make a decision

• It can take many forms

– A written advice from the Scientific Authority, based on much

or limited research

– A verbal advice from the Scientific Authority

– A quota agreed by the Scientific Authority

for a specific time period

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Non-detriment findings

• Res. Conf. 10.3 on Designation and role of Scientific Authorities recommends that a NDF be based on:

– population status

– distribution

– population trend

– harvest

– other biological and ecological factors

– trade information

• Parties have not wanted over-prescriptive rules re. NDFs

• Case studies on CITES website

• More NDF guidance will be discussed at CoP16

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NDF as a risk assessment

• A non-detriment finding is essentially a science-

based risk assessment of the impact of harvest or

offtake on a national population

• Risk assessment methodology:

1. Analyze risks

2. Determine impact / Consider mitigating and

management measures

3. Take a decision

4. Monitor results

5. Adapt management accordingly

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Risk assessment methodology

• Principles

– Data requirements should be proportionate to the

potential risks

– Assessments should be based on the best

information available

– If you need extra information and can get it, do so

– Experience helps

– Use of guidance and ‘best practice’ examples

helps

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low risk

moderate

risk

moderate

risk

NDF = science-based risk assessment

Vulnerability of the species

Volu

me

in

tra

de

high risk

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low risk

moderate

risk

moderate

risk

NDF = science-based risk assessment

Vulnerability of the species

Volu

me

in

tra

de

high risk

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NDF = science-based risk assessment

Vulnerability of the species

Volu

me

in

tra

de

Trade not

advisable

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A checklist for non-detriment findings

• CITES designed a checklist to help Scientific

Authorities to determine ‘risk’

– Questions about different harvest regimes and their effects

– Questions about biological and management: ‘score’ from

‘low’ to ‘high’ risk

28 Example of Scoring System to Assist Scientific Authorities in making Non-Detriment Findings -

Plot of responses to questions in Table 2

0

1

2

3

4

5

BIOLOGY - Life history

BIOLOGY - Niche breadth

BIOLOGY - Dispersal

BIOLOGY - Human tolerance

STATUS - National distribution

STATUS - National abundance

STATUS - National population trend

STATUS - Information quality

STATUS - Major threat

MANAGEMENT - Illegal off-take

MANAGEMENT - Management history

MANAGEMENT - Management plan

MANAGEMENT - Aim of harvest

MANAGEMENT - Quotas

CONTROL - Harvest in PA

CONTROL - Harvest in strong tenure

CONTROL - Open acess harvest

CONTROL - Confidence in harvest management

MONITORING - Monitoring method

MONITORING - Confidence in monitoring

INCENTIVES - Effect of harvest

INCENTIVES - Species conservation incentive

INCENTIVES - habitat conservation incentive

PROTECTION - Proportion protected from harvest

PROTECTION - Effectiveness of protection

PROTECTION - Regulation of harvest

Response

• The results can be visualized as a circular

chart to help evaluate where biological and

management information are strongest or

weakest, so as to help decision-makers reach

a conclusion

• The amount of red emanating from the center

indicates where knowledge gaps occur or risk

may be greater (outer ring = riskiest)

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Adaptive management

Set Objectives

Apply

Management

Monitor

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Argali and adaptive management

Step 1: Specify the objective of management

• provide a sustainable off-take of argali in country ‘x’ through trophy hunting with minimum impact on the breeding component in a situation where total population size cannot be determined

Step 2: Based on information already available, apply

management action

• establish a hunting + export quota at a conservative percentage of the estimated population of argali;

• develop management programme with incentives (incl. for local people) and restrictions (season, hunting area, sex, size, hunting of single individuals only, number of specimens per hunter,…)

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Argali and adaptive management

Step 3: Monitor application and outcome of management action

• build in a report-back system for hunting guides/hunters from which parameters such as harvesting effort, the quality of the trophy or the average age category of specimens can be used as indices of the impact of the harvest quota on the wild population

• develop a field monitoring programme for a representative part of the area harvested

Step 4: Adapt management action/programme in light of results of monitoring or Revise objective of management

• review quota (eg. if hunting success or average size declines), or adapt incentives/restrictions;

• maintain or possibly increase quota if monitoring allows for this to meet objective

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CITES Secretariat

Geneva

www.cites.org

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Trade with non-Parties

• Where export or re-export is to, or import is from, a

non-Party, comparable documentation issued by the

competent authorities which substantially conforms

with CITES requirements for permits and certificates

may be accepted

• Parties accept documentation from States not party

to the Convention only if the details of the competent

authorities and scientific institutions of such States

are included in the online CITES Directory

• This also applies to specimens in transit destined for

or coming from non-Parties