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The Rt Hon MP Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Seacole Building, 2 Marsham Street, , SW1P 4DF

17 April 2019

Dear Secretary of State,

Re: UK support for recommendations to combat trade in tigers and other Asian big cats at the upcoming Conference of the Parties (CoP) of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)

The UK Government has for many years been a world leader in tackling illegal trade in wildlife, including through the London Conferences on Illegal Wildlife Trade and ongoing financial support through the DEFRA Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund. In addition, the UK has consistently been a strong voice at CITES meetings, supporting protections for species threatened by trade such as tigers, elephants and rhinos, including through closure of domestic markets and ending tiger farming.

Fewer than 4,000 wild tigers survive worldwide, and killing to meet demand for their parts and products, primarily from Chinese consumers, continues to pose a serious threat to the species. Tigers are now functionally extinct in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Myanmar recently announced they have only 22 wild tigers, while Malaysia’s population has fallen from 500 in 2010 to less than 200 today. Other Asian big cat species are similarly imperilled by trade for the same consumer markets. Meanwhile a minimum of 1,142 tigers, 1,544 leopards, 146 snow leopards and 67 clouded leopards have been seized from illegal trade since 2010.

Despite this, and despite international trade bans, the Government of China continues to permit domestic trade in Asian big cat products. At least 39 medicinal products marketed as containing leopard bone are offered on pharmaceutical company websites, the scale of this trade being exemplified by a single permit issued in 2018 for the sale of 1.23 tonnes of leopard bone to a pharmaceutical company. In October 2018 the State Council repealed a 25-year domestic trade ban on the use of tiger bone and rhino horn in medicine, instead allowing eligible institutions to use the parts of tigers and rhinos bred in captivity in clinical treatment and research.

We understand this has now been put on hold and believe that China, which has showed leadership on the ivory trade, now has an opportunity to show leadership on banning the trade in tiger and other big cat parts.

Tiger trade is exacerbated by the existence of tiger farms in China, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and South Africa, which are contributing to illegal trade – an estimated 42% of tigers seized from illegal trade since 2010 are suspected to derive from captive sources. Trade in captive-

[Type here]All Party Parliamentary China Group, C/O Richard Graham MP, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA t: 44 (0)20 72197077 e: [email protected] w: appcg.org.uk

sourced tigers poses a serious threat to the survival of wild populations by stimulating consumer demand, particularly given a consistent consumer preference for wild tigers, providing opportunities to ‘launder’ illegally-sourced specimens and undermining law enforcement efforts.

At a recent meeting of the Global Tiger Forum, recommendations adopted by representatives of 11 of the 13 tiger range states included calls to prohibit all trade in tiger parts, including from captive sources, and end the commercial breeding of tigers.

There is an urgent need for consumer countries, particularly China, to respect the express wishes of countries impacted by illegal trade in big cats and adopt meaningful measures to tackle demand.

In light of the urgency of this situation, the Government of India – home to more wild tigers than any other country – has submitted a suite of draft decisions for consideration by the 18th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES, to be held in Sri Lanka in May 20191. These recommendations result from comprehensive reviews of measures taken by countries affected by illegal trade in Asian big cats and gaps in their responses as highlighted by the review. India’s draft decisions represent urgently needed time-bound, country-specific recommendations to effectively tackle trade in Asian big cats, including through the closure of domestic markets and specific measures to tackle illegal trade from captive facilities. These decisions complement additional proposals put forward by the CITES Secretariat.

We are writing to seek your assurances that the UK delegation to the CITES CoP in May will continue to provide a strong voice for big cats and support the adoption of India’s draft decisions, and moreover encourage other Parties to support their adoption.

We believe that time-bound, country-specific recommendations are sorely needed to tackle the urgent issue of illegal big cat trade, and the UK’s support of these is paramount to ensure its growing reputation as a leader in the fight against illegal wildlife trade.

Yours sincerely,

Richard Graham MP Chair, All Party Parliamentary China Group MP Environment Vice-Chair, All Party Parliamentary China Group

Darren Jones MP Lord Truscott Lord Steel MP Rosie Cooper MP David Jones MP Kerry McCarthy MP Henry Smith MP Christine Jardine MP Nigel Dodds MP

1 https://cites.org/sites/default/files/eng/cop/18/doc/E-CoP18-071-02.pdf

[Type here]All Party Parliamentary China Group, C/O Richard Graham MP, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA t: 44 (0)20 72197077 e: [email protected] w: appcg.org.uk

Catherine West MP Jim Fitzpatrick MP Ann Clwyd MP Karen Buck MP Lord Marlesford MP Baroness D’Souza Alex Sobel MP John Mann MP MP MP MP MP MP Lord Rowe-Beddoe MP MP Caroline Spelman MP MP MP MP Emma Lewell-Buck MP Lord Stoddart Tonia Antoniazzi MP Jeremy Lefroy MP Rupa Huq MP Philip Dunne MP John Mann MP David Drew MP MP Daniel Zeichner MP Ruth George MP MP Tom Brake MP MP David Hanson MP Antoinette Sandbach MP MP Richard Benyon MP Wera Hobhouse MP MP Vernon Coaker MP Zac Goldsmith MP Grahame Morris MP Vicky Ford MP Gareth Thomas MP Simon Clarke MP George Howarth MP Roger Gale MP Keith Vaz MP Sarah Newton MP MP Sir David Crausby MP MP MP Deidre Brock MP MP Nic Dakin MP Kate Green MP Yvonne Fovargue MP Ross Thomson MP

The All Party Parliamentary China Group is sponsored by:

[Type here]All Party Parliamentary China Group, C/O Richard Graham MP, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA t: 44 (0)20 72197077 e: [email protected] w: appcg.org.uk