Status, scope and trends of the legal and illegal international trade in marine turtles, its conservation impacts, management options and mitigation priorities Key partners: Implementing agencies: Donors: 1 Status, scope and trends of the legal and illegal international trade in marine turtles, its conservation impacts, management options and mitigation priorities Front cover photo: Caretta caretta hatchling heading to the Mediterranean Sea (©Lauren Lopes). How to cite this document: CITES Secretariat (2019). Status, scope and trends of the legal and illegal international trade in marine turtles, its conservation impacts, management options and mitigation priorities. Eighteenth (18th) meeting of the CITES Conference of the Parties (Geneva, August 2019), Document CoP18 Inf. 18. Published in June 2019. 2 Table of Contents List of acronyms and terms......................................................................................................................................... 7 Executive summary .................................................................................................................................................... 9 Preamble ................................................................................................................................................................... 15 Objective................................................................................................................................................................... 15 Preparation of this study ........................................................................................................................................... 15 I. In-situ country assessments ..................................................................................................................... 15 II. Analysis of CITES Trade data on marine turtles..................................................................................... 16 III. Literature review ................................................................................................................................. 16 Relevant definitions and distinctions ........................................................................................................................ 16 Marine turtles, CITES, CMS and IAC ...................................................................................................................... 17 Findings in Madagascar and Mozambique (East Africa) .......................................................................................... 17 Madagascar .......................................................................................................................................................... 17 Assessment methods ........................................................................................................................................ 18 Legislation and regulations relevant to marine turtles ..................................................................................... 18 Overview of artisanal fisheries and their (marine turtle) take in Madagascar, dina and fady .......................... 18 Sources of marine turtle take in Madagascar ................................................................................................... 19 Fate of marine turtle bycatch ........................................................................................................................... 19 Rough estimates of targeted and non-targeted take ......................................................................................... 19 Domestic use and trade .................................................................................................................................... 21 Domestic drivers of trade ................................................................................................................................. 23 Species and specimens in trade, including by region ....................................................................................... 23 Prices................................................................................................................................................................ 23 Illegal international trade ................................................................................................................................. 24 Trends .............................................................................................................................................................. 24 Insights into conservation impacts ................................................................................................................... 25 Applied management options that may be considered for other areas ............................................................. 25 Conclusions - Madagascar ............................................................................................................................... 26 Mozambique ......................................................................................................................................................... 27 Assessment methods ........................................................................................................................................ 27 Legislation and regulations relevant to marine turtles ..................................................................................... 27 Overview of artisanal fisheries and their (marine turtle) take in Mozambique ................................................ 28 Sources of marine turtle take in Mozambique ................................................................................................. 28 Fate of marine turtle bycatch ........................................................................................................................... 28 Rough estimates of targeted and non-targeted take ......................................................................................... 29 Domestic use and trade .................................................................................................................................... 30 Domestic drivers of trade ................................................................................................................................. 31 Species and specimens in trade, including by region ....................................................................................... 31 Prices................................................................................................................................................................ 32 Illegal international trade ................................................................................................................................. 32 3 Trends .............................................................................................................................................................. 33 Insights into conservation impacts ................................................................................................................... 34 Applied management options that may be considered for other areas ............................................................. 34 Conclusions – Mozambique ............................................................................................................................. 35 Findings in Colombia, Nicaragua and Panama (Inter-Americas) ............................................................................. 36 Colombia .............................................................................................................................................................. 36 Assessment methods ........................................................................................................................................ 36 Legislation and regulations relevant to marine turtles ..................................................................................... 37 Overview of the use of marine turtles in Colombia ......................................................................................... 37 Sources of marine turtle take in Colombia ....................................................................................................... 37 Domestic use and trade .................................................................................................................................... 38 Analysis of seizure data ................................................................................................................................... 39 Domestic drivers of trade ................................................................................................................................. 39 Species and specimens in trade, including by region ....................................................................................... 40 Prices................................................................................................................................................................ 40 Illegal international trade ................................................................................................................................. 40 Trends .............................................................................................................................................................. 41 Insights into conservation impacts ..................................................................................................................