CITES suspends 14 African countries from trading in endangered animal and plant species

13:30 / 21 Jan 2016 By Oscar Nkala GABORONE, January 21 (ANA) – The Standing Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has ordered 14 African countries to suspend all trade in endangered animal and plant species after they failed to comply with its restriction regulations. In a press statement issued soon after a CITES Standing Committee meeting held in Geneva, Switzerland, to prepare for the 17th Convention of Parties meeting for Johannesburg in September this year, the watchdog said the suspensions demonstrated its willingness to enforce trade regulations to encourage legal, sustainable and traceable trade in wildlife. The suspensions were imposed on Angola, Liberia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Benin, Cameroun, Madagascar, Senegal, Nigeria and the Central Africa Republic for unaccountable trade dealings in protected species which include elephant, cheetah, rhino, pangolin, sharks and high value timber among others. Nigeria and Angola have been slapped with commercial trade bans on elephant products species which will only be lifted if they submit individual progress reports on their National Ivory Action Plans (NIAPs) which are meant to stop the illegal ivory trade and elephant poaching. “The Standing Committee adopted a series of recommendations to suspend trade that will affect a number of parties (to the convention). These include the suspension of trade with Guinea Bissau, Liberia and Venezuela in all CITES-listed species for failing to make sufficient progress in preparing and adopting national legislation to implement and enforce CITES and the suspension of all commercial trade with Angola, Laos and Nigeria for failing to report on progress with NIAP implementation. “These recommendations also include the suspension of trade with Bhutan, Central African Republic, Congo, Grenada, Guinea, Mali, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Panama, Rwanda, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu for failing to submit annual reports on trade in CITES-listed species if no annual reports are received within 60 days, as well as the suspension of trade with Benin, Cameroon and Ghana in chameleons and with Guinea and Senegal in sea-horses,” CITES said. The Indian Ocean island nation of Madagascar was suspended from trading in high-value timber species which include five rosewoods and 43 palisanders and 233 species of ebonys due to its failure to stop illegal logging and illegal exports of the products. The Standing Committee also suspended all trade in African grey parrots with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) because the country has repeatedly exceeded approved export quotas. The DRC was also found to have no scientific data on the status of the populations of the endangered birds. According to the CITES National Legislation Project, 88 countries and 13 dependent territories still needed to strengthen their legal frameworks for the effective implementation of regulations to combat illegal trade in wildlife. These include Algeria, Belize, Bolivia, Comoros, Djibouti, Guinea-Bissau, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Liberia, Mauritania, Mozambique, Pakistan, Paraguay, Rwanda, Somalia, United Republic of Tanzania and Bolivian Republic of Venezuela. – African News Agency (ANA)