Wildlife Trade Working Group
Chair: Rob Atkinson, RSPCA
Vice Chair: Cathy Williamson, Whale & Dolphin Conservation Society
Secretary: Jodie Bettis
The Wildlife and Trade Working Group works to improve the conservation of wild flora and fauna threatened by international trade by seeking to ensure the proper implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in the UK.
QUARTERLY UPDATE: October to December 2009
The Wildlife and Trade Working Group met in October to discuss the forthcoming Conference of the Parties (CoP15), which will be held in Dohar,Qatar, from 13 to 25 March 2010. The group shared details on proposals of interest to Link that are being put forward by the UKand other EU countries, such as those on bluefin tuna, porbeagle and dogfish sharks.
Link members attended two Defra Joint NGO Liaison Group (JLG) meetings this quarter, in October and December. During October’s meeting, Defra stressed its desire to be transparent and inclusive with NGOs in the run up to and during the CoP process. Defra also welcomed any input to upcoming EU meetings related to CITES and will call a number of JLG meetings in the run up to CoP15. At December’s meeting, trade in species that are on Annex A (of the EC Wildlife Trade Regulations) because of the EU Habitats Directive but which are not on CITES Appendix I were discussed, and Defra reported that European eel management plans are in the pipeline.
We are pleased to announce that at Link’s AGM on 8 December Rob Atkinson (RSPCA) and Cathy Williamson (WDCS)were elected as Chair and Vice Chair respectively of the Wildlife Trade Working Group for 2010.
