The World Wildlife Foundation has releases its top ten list of species needing urgent, global, action to reduce threats from trade.

Some of the species on the list are among the most endangered. For example, the tiger and the Asian rhino have required constant and urgent action over the past decades, because of ever-present, pervasive threats to their survival, including poaching and illegal trade. Others, particularly marine species, are on the list because their populations have declined massively in recent years, to supply the global market.

Delegates from 171 countries are expected to attend the Conference of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), from 3-15 June in The Hague, The Netherlands.

“CITES has been addressing the trade threat to some of these species for more than 30 years, with many successes, while others are new on the agenda,” said Dr Susan Lieberman, Director WWF’s Global Species Programme. “For some, there are new threats, others are new on the agenda due to changing trade dynamics in the global economy, while for yet others, organized criminal elements continue to ply their trade across the globe.”

“Whatever the problem,” added Dr Lieberman, “nothing will change unless governments take this trade and its impacts on conservation and local people’s livelihoods seriously.”

How does CITES work?
CITES regulates international trade in species by including species on one of three Appendices.

• Appendix I – species cannot be traded internationally.
• Appendix II – species can be traded internationally but within strict regulations ensuring its sustainability.
• Appendix III – a species included at the request of a country which then needs the cooperation of other countries to help prevent illegal exploitation.

This is the first time the CITES Conference has been held in the European Union, and will see the largest-ever such gathering devoted to the trade in endangered species.

The list includes the following species:

Continue reading Top Ten Species Threatened By International Trade →