Five types of critically endangered but commercially valuable shark species, Oceanic Whitetip Carcharhinus longimanus, Scalloped Hammerhead Sphyrna lewini, Great Hammerhead Sphyrna mokarran, Smooth Hammerhead Sphyrna zygaenaand Porbeagle sharks Lamna nasu—all obtained the two-thirds majority amongst voting governments to become included under Appendix II of the Convention and have been given added protection at the CITES meeting in Bangkok. The body, which regulates trade in flora and fauna, voted by a two-thirds majority to upgrade the sharks' status.
Likewise, the Manta Rays were also formally adopted into the CITES Appendices. Campaigners hailed the move as historic and said the vote represented a major breakthrough for marine conservation. “This is an historic day for marine conservation,” said Glenn Sant, TRAFFIC’s Marine Programme Leader. “Sharks populations in freefall have been thrown a lifeline today—CITES has finally listened to the scientists.”Their numbers have declined dramatically in recent years, as the trade in shark fins for soup has grown. Manta rays are killed for their gill plates which are used in Chinese medicine. Shark supporters have been attempting to get CITES to protect these species since 1994. But there has long been strong opposition to the move from China and Japan. But a number of factors have changed the arithmetic.
Experts say the critical factor has been a shift in South American nations, who've come to understand that sharks are more valuable alive than dead. The decision may be considered important for India as the second largest harvester of shark fins. For more information, please visit http://www.traffic.org/ and http://www.cites.org/
Likewise, the Manta Rays were also formally adopted into the CITES Appendices. Campaigners hailed the move as historic and said the vote represented a major breakthrough for marine conservation. “This is an historic day for marine conservation,” said Glenn Sant, TRAFFIC’s Marine Programme Leader. “Sharks populations in freefall have been thrown a lifeline today—CITES has finally listened to the scientists.”Their numbers have declined dramatically in recent years, as the trade in shark fins for soup has grown. Manta rays are killed for their gill plates which are used in Chinese medicine. Shark supporters have been attempting to get CITES to protect these species since 1994. But there has long been strong opposition to the move from China and Japan. But a number of factors have changed the arithmetic.
Experts say the critical factor has been a shift in South American nations, who've come to understand that sharks are more valuable alive than dead. The decision may be considered important for India as the second largest harvester of shark fins. For more information, please visit http://www.traffic.org/ and http://www.cites.org/
Comments
blog comments powered by Disqus