The TRAFFIC Network is the world’s largest wildlife trade monitoring programme with offices covering most parts of the world. TRAFFIC is a programme of WWF – World Wide Fund for Nature and IUCN – The World Conservation Union established to monitor trade in wild plants and animals. It works in close co-operation with the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade In Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The Director TRAFFIC Europe Chaussée de Waterloosteenweg 608 B-1050 Brussels, Belgium Tel.: (32) 2 343 82 58 Fax: (32) 2 343 25 65 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.traffic.org MONITORING OF WILDLIFE TRADE IN THE EUROPEAN UNION: ASSESSING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EU CITES IMPORT POLICIES GEORGIA VALAORAS A TRAFFIC EUROPE REPORT This project was supported by and the European Commission Published by TRAFFIC Europe, Brussels, Belgium. © 1998 TRAFFIC Europe All rights reserved. All material appearing in this publication is copyrighted and may be reproduced with permission. Any reproduction in full or in part of this publication must credit TRAFFIC Europe as the copyright owner. The views of the authors expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the TRAFFIC Network, WWF or IUCN. The designation of geographical entities in this publication, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of TRAFFIC or its supporting organisations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The TRAFFIC Symbol copyright and Registered Trademark ownership is held by WWF. TRAFFIC Is a joint programme of WWF and IUCN. Suggested citation: Valaoras, G. (1998). Monitoring of Wildlife Trade in the European Union: Assessing the Effectiveness of EU CITES Import Policies. TRAFFIC Europe, Brussels, Belgium. MONITORING OF WILDLIFE TRADE IN THE EUROPEAN UNION: ASSESSING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EU CITES IMPORT POLICIES GEORGIA VALAORAS A TRAFFIC EUROPE REPORT This project was supported by and the European Commission Contents Acknowledgement Executive Summary 1. Introduction 1 1.1 Background 1 1.2 The European Union and international wildlife trade 1 1.3 Wildlife trade monitoring and support requirements in the European Union 2 2. History and operation of the C2 systems 3 3. Overview of measures taken under the C2 system, and of` general trade trends with C2 species during the system?s lifetime 4 4. Trade with targeted C2 species: an analysis of the impact of EU trade measures on international trade with selectedspecies 7 4.1 Psittacus erithacus 7 4.2 Indonesia species 14 4.3 Varanus exanthematicus and Varanus niloticus 22 4.4 Cyclamen spp. from Turkey 29 4.5 Boa constrictor 36 5. Discussion 40 6. Conclusions and Recommendations 41 7. References 43 Annex Annex I Description of the Significant Trade Process Annex II Article 10.1(b) Text Annex III The Quota System Annex IV Figures 1-7 Acknowledgments I wish to acknowledge the assistance of Jack Van Handenhove who designed and programmed all the graphs; Evy Noula who assisted me to assemble the statistics on C2 species and EU decisions, Teresa Mulliken of TRAFFIC International for reviewing the draft, and the director and staff of TRAFFIC Europe for guidance, advice and assistance, namely, Tom De Meulenaer, AnnVanden Bloock, Elizabeth Fleming, Stephanie Theile, Irène Bronlet, Nina Marshall and Caroline Raymakers. All errors of fact and judgment remain the responsibility of the writer. I would also like to thank the European Commission for providing financial support for this effort. Dr. Georgia Valaoras, Research Consultant TRAFFIC Europe Athens, Greece December, 1998 Executive Summary Under the European Community Treaty which first came into effect in 1958 and was recently developed (1993) as the Maastricht Treaty, the European Commission takes the initiative to suggest Community-wide environmental measures. In several cases Community regulations provide for more protection of the environment than do International Conventions. One example is the implementation of CITES, the 1975 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. The European Union goes beyond the requirements of CITES by requiring import permits for all CITES specimens, and by issuing a number of ad hoc measures such as prohibitions of species from certain countries of origin or temporary restrictions on import of all species from a certain country. European Union CITES regulations dating from 1984 were revised and improved in 1997; these now apply to a larger number of species listed in CITES and incorporate many measures designed to enhance the monitoring of trade entering the borders of the European Union. In order to assess the effectiveness of past EU trade decisions on Appendix II CITES species, this review is based on a selection of five case studies: 1) restrictions on trade in African Grey parrots, Psittacus erithacus, 2) a temporary, total ban on Indonesia’s species from 1991-1995, 3) trade measures for skins of two African lizards, Varanus exanthematicus and Varanus niloticus, 4) controls on trade of Cyclamen species from Turkey, and 5) for Boa constrictor from the Americas supplying the live pet market. The goal was to assess the relevance of past EU trade restrictions for species conservation and for in situ management and protection of the species; to evaluate the consequences for international markets, trade patterns and routes; and to determine which policies under which circumstances can achieve the best results in terms of long term conservation. The review highlights some of the problems encountered in the course of thirteen years of EU decisions on wildlife trade, 1984-1996, and provides examples of successful initiatives which substantially improved the management of wild species in countries of origin. Recommendations are presented which address certain gaps in the monitoring of trade measures, and the institutional inadequacies which continue to exist in exporting countries to adequately control wildlife trade. Monitoring of Wildlife Trade in the European Union – Assessing the Effectiveness of EU CITES Import Policies. TRAFFIC Europe Report 1. Introduction 1.1 Background The European Union, since the coming together of fifteen nations in 1994, has become one of the largest and most diverse markets for wildlife and wildlife products in the world. The trade, which involves many thousands of species, changes constantly in response to factors such as fashion, value, and availability, or in response to regulations or restrictive measures taken in favour of certain species. New Markets for Wildlife Trade Russia, central Asia and central Europe all export significant numbers of wild animals and plants to the EU, and serve as major suppliers of specimens entering this affluent market. In several central Asian CIS countries and in much of Russia, this trade continues to threaten native species, including some of the rarest in the world. New markets for wildlife are developing in neighbouring central andeastern Europe. A large number of wild species that are or may become threatened by trade are subject to or require regulatory mechanisms, such as those provided under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora (CITES). As ofNovember, 2000, there are 152 Parties to CITES. Most, but not all countries on the European continent are long- standing Parties to CITES. Recent additions to CITES include: Latvia, Uzbekistan, Mauritania, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Iceland, Kazakhstan, Slovenia, Croatia, and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia These countries became Parties to CITES during the period 1997 to 2000 and are listed above in chronological order. The level at which CITES is implemented in Europe ranges from the comprehensive and sophisticated to the virtually non- existent, and in general relates to the degree of economic wealth and stability. Enforcement of CITES and effectively controlling trade in wild species remains problematic in many European countries. However, there is genuine interest in both undertaking and supporting model projects, as well as devising innovative approaches for CITES and other wildlife trade regulation mechanisms in Europe. Perhaps the most interesting is the way in which the EU has decided to protect species of wild fauna and flora by regulating trade therein under its new EU legislation, applicable since June 1997. 1.2 The European Union and international wildlife trade CITES has been implemented in the EU since 1 January 1984 through Council Regulation (EEC) NE3626/82. It had long been recognised that a revised regulation was needed to improve the control of the Community’s wildlife trade. On 9 December 1996, the Council adopted Regulation (EC) 338/97 on the Protection of Species of Wild Fauna and Flora by Regulating Trade Therein, which became applicable as of 1 June 1997. At the same time, Commission Regulation (EEC) No. 3418/83, containing detailed implementation provisions, particularly on the use of permits and certificates, was replaced by Commission regulation (EC) No 939/97. These two new Regulations fully implement the provisions of CITES and include provisions to implement the bulk of currently applicable recommendations of the Conference of the Parties. The new Regulations also providemechanisms to ensure that the European Union is kept up-to-date on future CITES measures and decisions. 1 Monitoring of Wildlife