Action for change

Illegal trade in Asian big cat skins and other parts is a major threat © Gerald S. Cubitt/WWF-Canon There is an urgent need for knowledge and action, including strengthening of the role and effectiveness of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), applying new approaches through instruments such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), mobilizing action by the private sector and using other regulatory and incentive mechanisms at international, national and local levels to ensure that the positive values of wildlife trade are harnessed and its negative impacts avoided.

There are, however, many examples of positive action to address this challenge, including: the further evolution of CITES itself; regional ministerial agreements on wildlife trade regulation in South and South-east Asia; regional enforcement co-operation networks in South-east Asia, North America and the EU; inclusion of wildlife trade concerns in US and EU free trade agreement negotiations; increasing interest in environmental certification and labelling; public awareness campaigns aimed at influencing consumer choice; and a wide range of other initiatives by governments, NGOs and commercial sector actors. Fundamentally, the success of such action will depend on the involvement of people with a vested interest, whether those communities are local to any particular resource, regulators, traders, or final consumers of wildlife goods.

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