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Marine Turtle Newsletter 69:3-4, © 1995

Marine Turtle Newsletter-Online

REPORT OF MARINE TURTLE-RELATED ISSUES AT C.I.T.E.S. COP 9

The US National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) participated in the ninth Conference of the Parties (COP 9) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida from 7-18 November 1994. NMFS was very successful in advancing the protection of numerous marine species including marine turtles by promoting initiatives concerning new species listing criteria and setting stringent guidelines for marine turtle ranching. The following is a synopsis of the outcome of NMFS marine turtle issues at COP 9.

Listing Criteria: New species listing criteria for CITES Appendix I and II passed unanimously (with three Parties abstaining). Proposed listing criteria, prepared by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), would have negatively affected a wide range of species such as marine turtles because they included numerical guidelines for determining their status. These numerical guidelines would likely have made it impossible to maintain the current listing of numerous highly migratory, long-lived and slow-growing species, such as marine turtles (see Crouse 1994a,b). The U. S. proposed a resolution that resulted in a compromise to make the criteria more flexible. In addition, the numerical guidelines were placed in a "Definitions Annex" in such a way that they have been marginalized and clearly not meant to apply across the board. It was not possible to remove the numerical guidelines altogether, as proposed by the U. S., because a number of Parties had decided that they wanted this approach.

Guidelines for Evaluating Marine Turtle Ranching Proposals: A proposal of the Animals Committee of CITES was revised by a working group at COP 9 and later approved as a consensus document by Committee I. The revised guidelines are a significant improvement as they now require: 1) a comprehensive biological assessment and monitoring of the population to be ranched, 2) the effective implementation of a national program for sea turtle conservation, 3) the development and implementation of regional protocols for cooperative conservation among range states, and 4) adequate controls by proponents and importing Parties to ensure that trade in ranched sea turtles does not stimulate illegal trade.

Crouse, D. 1994a. Guest Editorial: CITES listing criteria revisions. Marine Turtle Newsletter 64:15-16.

Crouse, D. 1994b. CITES listing criteria revisions. IUCN/SSC Species 21/22:129-130.

PHIL WILLIAMS, NOAA Office of Policy and Strategic Planning, 14th and Constitution Ave. NW, Washington D. C. 20230 USA.