Sharks over the moon following court ruling

A pastor in the Unification Church and five other “Moonies” have been convicted of poaching undersize Leopard Sharks © 2006 Monterey Bay Aquarium FoundationCalifornia, USA, 15 February 2007—The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity, founded by the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, whose followers are known colloquially as “Moonies”, and six men convicted of poaching Leopard Sharks are to pay a total of US$910,000 to help restore marine wildlife habitat in the San Francisco Bay. Generous donations from the California Coastal Conservancy and three Foundations are to contribute a further US$600,000 for conservation work in the area.

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Have a heart: a third of Borneo’s rainforests to be conserved

Rainforests in the heart of Borneo will be conserved, thanks to the historic Declaration © WWF-Canon / A. Christy WILLIAMS Click to enlargeBali, Indonesia, 12 February 2007—An historic declaration to conserve the “Heart of Borneo” was officially signed today between the three Bornean governments—Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia.

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CAWT in the act

The CAWT coalition comprises 4 government agencies and 13 organizationsCambridge, UK, 10 February 2007—The Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking (CAWT) was launched today by a partnership of governments and concerned organisations to tackle the growing problem of illegal trade in wild animals and plants.

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Five things not to eat for Chinese New Year

Shark fins for sale, Hong Kong: you could be buying trouble for the environment, warns TRAFFIC © WWF-Canon / Meg GAWLER Click to enlargeBeijing, China, 9 February 2007—Looking for that sumptuous dining experience as Chinese New Year approaches? TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, says that by avoiding or carefully sourcing certain foods, such as shark's fin, sea cucumber and abalone, you can avoid having a detrimental impact on the planet's natural resources and a guilt free Year of the Pig.

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Caviar figures smell fishy

TRAFFIC is concerned the lifting of a caviar trade ban was not based on sound scientific data © Boris MashkovVladivostock, Russia, 8 February 2007—The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has lifted a one-year ban on exports of caviar from stocks of beluga sturgeon and two species of sturgeon from the Amur River basin. The announcement has dismayed TRAFFIC and WWF who are concerned the decision was not based on catch quotas established by the Russian Federation for 2007.

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Abaolone to come under international trade controls

South African abalone is frequently exported to East Asia, where its meat is considered a delicacy © Markus Bürgener / TRAFFIC Click to enlargeCape Town, South Africa, 5 February 2007—South Africa has taken a decisive step towards stemming the illegal harvest and trade of its endemic abalone species, Haliotis midae, by listing it in Appendix III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The listing, which comes into effect on 3 May 2007, requires all future consignments of H. midae, more commonly known as perlemoen, in international trade to be accompanied by CITES documentation.

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Hong Kong authorities called upon to address illegal fish trade

Humphead Wrasse is a coral fish threatened by unregulated and illegal trade © Cindy Cheng/WWF-Hong Kong Click to enlargeHong Kong, 2 February 2007—Reef fish such as Humphead Wrasse (also known as Napolean Wrasse, Cheilinus undulatus) are fast disappearing largely due to weakly regulated and illegal international trade, according to TRAFFIC. As the major consumption market and trade hub, TRAFFIC is calling upon Hong Kong authorities to take the initiative to work closely with source countries in the region to ensure the sustainable trade in Humphead Wrasse.

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Proposals to amend CITES Appendices announced

Cambridge, UK, 17 January 2007—The 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP14) this year will consider 38 proposals to amend the lists of species subject to trade controls.  The CITES Secretariat today unveiled the list of proposals to amend the CITES Appendices which will be discussed at the meeting taking place in the Hague, the Netherland, from 3-15 June 2007.

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