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Conservation of and trade in great apes (Rev. CoP18)

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  1. Preamble
  5. Paragraph 4.
  6. Paragraph 5.
  7. Paragraph 6.
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13 Mar, 2013
27 Aug, 2019 en 13 Mar, 2013 en

Conservation of and trade in great apes (Rev. CoP18)

CONSCIOUS of the special importance of great apes, not only from a cultural, ecological and scientific point of view and as part of our natural heritage, but also as mankind’s closest living relatives;CONCERNED that wild populations of great apes [all species of gorilla (Gorilla spp.), chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), bonobos (Pan paniscus) and orang-utan (Pongo spp.)] in Africa and Asia are threatened by the combined effects of poaching for wild meat1 or conflicts, disease and habitat loss caused by disturbance, fragmentation and destruction, and trade in live animals;1The term "wild meat" is defined as "the harvesting of wild animals for food and for non-food purposes, including for medicinal use". In tropical and subtropical regions, it is often referred to as "bushmeat".CONCERNED that almost all great ape populations continue to decline drastically;AWARE that the great apes face significant conservation threats and are all listed as either Endangered or Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN, 2018);RECALLING that all great ape species are included in Appendix I of the Convention;CONCERNED that illegal trade at international and national levels has been stimulated by opening up of forest habitats, increasing demand for ape meat, especially from urban populations both in range and non-range States and continuing global demand for live specimens, particularly juveniles;NOTING that, as all great ape species are well represented in zoos worldwide, there consequently may not be exceptional circumstances for which the removal of further great apes from the wild would be justified;RECOGNIZING the roles and mandates of other multilateral environmental agreements, in particular the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) to address some of the main threats facing great apes, including habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation, as well as poaching for domestic wild meat trade;RECALLING Resolution Conf. 17.6 on Prohibiting, preventing, detecting and countering corruption, which facilitates activities conducted in violation of the Convention, which provides recommendations on ways to tackle instances of corruption that undermine the effectiveness of CITES is of particular relevance in relation to great apes;NOTING Resolution Conf. 13.11 (Rev. CoP18) on Wild meat, which provides recommendations on the conservation of and trade in species that are traded as wild meat, including great apes;NOTING the CMS Agreement on the Conservation of Gorillas and Their Habitats (Gorilla Agreement), which aims to address transboundary issues concerning gorillas through the implementation of legally binding action plans and whose geographic scope covers the distribution range of all gorilla species;COMMENDING efforts already made in a number of range and non-range States to tackle poaching and illegal trade, including repatriation of seized live specimens to the country of origin;RECOGNIZING the need for international support to assist the 23 range States in protecting great ape populations, their habitats and related biodiversity resources;RECOGNIZING also the need for technical guidance to assist all Parties in preventing illegal trade in live specimens and parts and derivatives of great apes, including the confiscation and subsequent treatment of live animals;NOTING that the World Summit on Sustainable Development Great Ape Survival Partnership (WSSD GRASP) led by UNEP and UNESCO draws on the scientific expertise of the GRASP Scientific Commission, which includes members of both the IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group (Section on Great Apes) and the International Primatological Society (IPS), and experts in other fields relevant to great ape conservation, and brings together range and non-range States, international conventions (including CITES and the Convention on Biological Diversity), and a range of global and national non-governmental organizations;RECOGNIZING the role of the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) and its partners in bringing coordinated support to national wildlife law enforcement agencies and their regional networks, and noting that resources are available to assist Parties in understanding and addressing the complexity of wildlife and forest crime, particularly for great apes;NOTING that Ministers, heads of delegations, and all GRASP partners adopted the Kinshasa Declaration on Great Apes on 9 September 2005, under which, inter alia, they committed to enhance efforts to ensure the long-term future of all great ape species, and emphasized the need to stimulate and enhance cooperation among range States and their neighbours to ensure the effective enforcement of legislation protecting great apes and the coordination of efforts to halt activities that have a detrimental effect upon populations of great apes; andNOTING the revised Global Strategy for Great Apes (the Global Strategy) and the Rules for the Organization and Management of GRASP (the GRASP Rules) adopted by the GRASP Council;The Conference of the Parties to the Convention
1.URGES all Parties to:
a)adopt, review and implement comprehensive legislation to protect great apes, which includes:
i)a prohibition of all international trade for primarily commercial purposes, including sale, display, purchase, offer to purchase and acquisition for commercial purposes of wild-caught specimens of great apes; and
ii)deterrent penalties aimed at eliminating illegal trade in great apes and parts and derivatives thereof;
b)strengthen enforcement controls, including anti-poaching measures in great ape habitats and anti-smuggling measures at international borders;
c)where feasible, establish the origin of confiscated specimens of great apes, e.g. through the use of forensic applications",
d)provide accurate and up-to-date information on illegal trade in great apes in the CITES Annual Illegal Trade report in a timely manner, following the guidelines developed by the Secretariat and, as appropriate, consider contributing to the GRASP Apes Seizure database and the IUCN SSC A.P.E.S. database.
e)promote the protection of great ape habitats, including cross-border cooperation between neighbouring range States for the management of contiguous habitat, and to take appropriate action to restore or connect such habitats where they have become fragmented or diminished in quality;
f)support, in accordance with the Convention and where feasible, the repatriation of seized live animals to their countries of origin, if suitable facilities for keeping them exist; and
g)be particularly vigilant and strictly adhere to the provisions of the Convention regarding any proposed trade in wild-caught or allegedly captive-bred live specimens of great apes;
2.DIRECTS the Secretariat to:
a)work closely with Parties, and as a member of GRASP, assist Parties in to developing and implementing measures, including legislative and enforcement measures and regional and sub-regional initiatives, to halt or reduce and ultimately eliminate illegal trade in great apes;
b)work closely with ICCWC partners to support the implementation of this Resolution inter alia through the provision of technical assistance to range States; and
c)assist range States in the implementation of national and regional conservation plans, where these include measures aimed at eliminating illegal trade;
d)draw the attention of the Animals Committee to any scientific or technical issues related to international trade in great apes; and
e)report to the Standing Committee on the implementation of this Resolution at each of its regular meetings;
3.DIRECTS the Standing Committee to:
a)review the implementation of this Resolution at each of its regular meetings on the basis of the Secretariat’s reports; and
b)report at each meeting of the Conference of the Parties on the implementation of this Resolution, with any recommendations for further action;
4.URGES the Secretariat, the Standing Committee and the Animals Committee to work closely with GRASP, and to explore and implement other measures through which the Convention can contribute to the conservation of great apes and to the promotion of public awareness of the threat posed to great ape populations by illegal trade;
5.URGES all actors in the energy, extractives and agricultural sectors to comply with relevant national and international laws and encourages them to apply appropriate best practice guidelines in minimising impacts on great ape populations and habitats;
6.CALLS UPON all Parties to other relevant multilateral environmental agreements, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, to cooperate with GRASP and other appropriate partnerships in developing a common strategy to conserve great ape populations;
7.CALLS UPON all governments, intergovernmental organizations, international aid agencies, nongovernmental organizations and other donors, as a matter of urgency, to assist the range States in any way possible in supporting the conservation of great apes including through:
a)the provision of funding;
b)assistance with enforcement, training, capacity building and education;
c)population monitoring, and the gathering and exchange of scientific, technical and legal information and expertise;
d)habitat management and restoration;
e)mitigation of conflict between humans and apes in a manner that conserves in situ viable ape populations and habitat; and
f)the development of projects which deliver tangible benefits to local communities such as studies on alternative sources of protein and monitoring the efficacy of such alternatives;
and to stop illegal trade in specimens of these species in order to ensure the long-term survival of all populations in the wild, particularly by working through GRASP and other appropriate partnerships and through measures taken to implement this Resolution; and
8.CALLS UPON the Secretariat to strengthen collaboration and develop synergies with the Secretariats of other multilateral environmental agreements including the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) in relation to the conservation of great apes and to make recommendations relevant to CITES to the Standing Committee for consideration.