Trade in CITES-listed species is conducted in full compliance with the Convention in order to achieve their conservation and sustainable use.

Parties comply with their obligations under the Convention through the adoption and implementation of appropriate legislation, policies, and procedures.

Implementation of the Convention at the national level is consistent with Resolutions and Decisions adopted by the Conference of the Parties.

The Appendices correctly reflect the conservation status and needs of species.

Parties improve the conservation status of CITES-listed specimens, put in place national conservation actions, support their sustainable use and promote cooperation in managing shared wildlife resources.

The conservation status of migratory species is improved.

By 2029, the conservation status of all migratory species is reviewed regularly, informing priorities for conservation and management action. Explanation: The conservation status, population trend, range and extinction risk of all migratory species is regularly monitored, including through the State of the World’s Migratory Species report, CMS National Reports, 2 other assessments and analyses of relevant publications such as those produced by CMS and its Instruments, and information from relevant stakeholders, indigenous peoples and local communities. The conclusions of this regular monitoring supports priority-setting under CMS, including the listing of new migratory species that may need specific conservation actions.

The wise use of wetlands is strengthened through integrated resource management at the appropriate scale, inter alia, within a river basin or along a coastal zone.

By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources

By 2030, increase the economic benefits to small island developing States and least developed countries from the sustainable use of marine resources, including through sustainable management of fisheries, aquaculture and tourism

Take urgent action to end poaching and trafficking of protected species of flora and fauna and address both demand and supply of illegal wildlife products

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.

Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.

Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

Resolution on Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling (AWS)   WHEREAS Resolution 1982-3 states that it is the purpose of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to provide for the effective conservation and management of whale stocks; WHEREAS the Commission recognises the importance of accommodating the needs of aboriginal people who are dependent upon whales for subsistence and cultural purposes and that the Commission intends that the needs of aboriginals shall be determined by the Governments concerned and explained in needs statements that are submitted to the Commission. WHEREAS Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling (ASW) management is a fundamental and integral part of the duties to be performed by the IWC; WHEREAS Resolution 1994-4 states that for aboriginal subsistence whaling the IWC objectives are to: ensure that the risks of extinction to individual stocks are not seriously increased by subsistence whaling; enable aboriginal people to harvest whales in perpetuity at levels appropriate to their cultural and nutritional requirements, subject to the other objectives; and maintain the status of stocks at or above the level giving the highest net recruitment and to ensure that stocks below that level are moved towards it, so far as the environment permits; WHEREAS Resolution 1994-4 also states that highest priority shall be accorded to the objective of ensuring that the risk of extinction to individual stocks are not seriously increased by subsistence whaling; WHEREAS the Scientific Committee in its 2009 report endorsed an interim safe approach to setting catch limits for the Greenlandic hunt in 2008 and agreed that this should be considered valid for two blocks, i.e. up to, and including, the 2018 whaling season; WHEREAS the Commission and the Scientific Committee have agreed that long-term scientific advice on ASW management should follow the Strike Limit Algorithm (SLA) approach; WELCOMING the relevant work carried out by the Scientific Committee, especially the considerable progress in developing SLAs and providing management advice for the Greenlandic hunt; NOTING WITH SATISFACTION the completion of the SLA for humpback whales off West Greenland which provides a more robust basis for providing long-term management advice to the Commission on the subsistence hunt of humpback whales off West Greenland; WELCOMING ALSO the work of the Scientific Committee towards considering a multi-species SLA; WELCOMING FURTHER the additional work undertaken on conversion factors within Greenland, including improved procedures for data collection and updating the new information obtained (SC/65b/AWMP05) in line with the recommendations of the Scientific Committee in 2013 and NOTING that the Scientific Committee has agreed that annual update reports are unnecessary for its work, but has suggested that data are submitted directly to the Commission when it meets and incorporated as necessary into need statements; NOW, THEREFORE, THE COMMISSION: EMPHASISES the need to regulate ASW in the future through a more consistent and long-term approach; URGES all contracting governments to participate more actively in the work of the ASW Sub­ committee; REQUESTS the Scientific Committee to give high priority to all AWMP-related activities, including modelling and data collection and to complete, and, to the extent possible, accelerate its work on the development of agreed and validated SLAs for the Greenland hunt, at least by species, before 2018 in accordance with its current work plan as well as consider the integration of these SLAs so as to provide multispecies advice for the next quota period; FURTHER REQUESTS the ASW Sub-committee to address as a matter of urgency the following issues for the period 2014-2018: Standardised need statements, building on the work already carried out in the ASW sub­ committee and by the Ad Hoc ASW Working Group; Better understanding of the relationship between needs and consumption patterns for ASW hunts, including by collecting data on landings for each category, local consumption and use and the extent of monetary transactions; preparation of a proposal to update paragraph 13a of the Schedule to the International Convention on the Regulation of Whaling to reflect the SLA approach for consideration bylWC66. THANKS the Kingdom of Denmark for providing the updated 2014 needs statement for Greenland; INVITES the ASW countries to continue to provide regular data and improve information on all aspects of their hunts and needs.

Resolution 2001-4 Resolution on the incidental capture of Cetaceans NOTING that the problem of the incidental capture of non-target species in fishing gear is a problem of international proportions, and is the subject of serious concern within a number of international agreements, including the Convention on Migratory Species, RECOGNISING that the problem of by-catch of cetaceans has been discussed by the IWC for over twenty years, RECALLING IWC Resolution 2000-8 (on the North Atlantic Right Whale) and 2000-9 (on fresh water cetaceans), ACKNOWLEDGING that the problem of by-catch may prove critical for some species, NOW THEREFORE, THE COMMISSION COMMENDS the work of the Scientific Committee on the Estimation of By-catch and Other Human-Induced Mortality; URGES all members to contribute fully to the Committee’s further work on this matter; REQUESTS the Scientific Committee to provide to the 54th Annual Meeting of the Commission a summary of its work in recent years on the most feasible methods to mitigate the incidental capture of large cetaceans in fishing gear, and ways in which entangled large cetaceans may be removed from fishing gear with minimal risk to rescuers; RECOMMENDS that all Contracting Parties make reasonable attempts to release alive, with the minimum harm possible, whales that have been incidentally captured. If the whale cannot be released alive, the Commission recommends that: (a) There shall be no commercial exchange of incidentally-captured whales for which no catch limit has been set by the Commission; (b) If an incidentally-captured whale is subject to a catch limit awarded under the RMP, and the sovereign government wishes to permit commercial exchange for that whale, then: (i) A DNA sample must be forwarded to the appropriate diagnostic register; (ii) The incidental capture must be counted against the overall quota for that species or stock.

Resolution 2001-13 Resolution on Small Cetaceans APPRECIATING the valuable work of the Standing Sub Committee on Small Cetaceans (SCSC) and recognising the usefulness of its findings to other international and regional bodies; COMMENDING the SCSC’s species and population-specific reviews which enable the Scientific Committee and Commission to make species-specific recommendations; NOTING in particular the Scientific Committee’s recent acknowledgement of the critically endangered status of the baiji and vaquita, the depleted or unknown status of many beluga stock and the uncertain status of the narwhal; NOTING the continuing and critical threat to some small cetaceans posed by directed takes and their incidental capture in fisheries operations; WELCOMING the information on direct and incidental takes of small cetaceans provided by some Contracting Governments through their annual progress reports to the IWC; RECOGNISING the Government of Mexico’s recovery strategy for the vaquita, the objective of which is to reduce by-catches of vaquita as rapidly as possible; CONCERNED that, in the absence of information on population status, trends and distribution, takes and other anthropogenic removals, the removal of certain small cetaceans may be detrimental to the survival of that species; REGRETTING that, despite repeated requests for information and action on certain species and populations, the requested information and action have not always been forthcoming; NOW THEREFORE THE COMMISSION: COMMENDS Contracting Governments who have instigated/taken conservation measures in relation to small cetaceans in their waters and through other regional bodies; URGES Contracting Governments to respond to outstanding and future requests from the Scientific Committee for information on the status of, and threats to small cetaceans and recommendations for action; DIRECTS the Scientific Committee to undertake a regular review of the extent to which outstanding recommendations and resolutions relating to small cetaceans have been fulfilled; CALLS ON Contracting Governments to report to the extent practicable information on all direct and non-direct takes and other anthropogenic removals in their national progress reports; URGES Contracting Governments to take all appropriate measures to prevent, minimise and mitigate by-catch of small cetaceans in fisheries operations; SUPPORTS the recommendations of the Scientific Committee in 1999 that beluga range states continue studies to resolve the structure of beluga stocks, conduct contaminant analysis and health assessments and provide relevant scientific data to the Scientific Committee; FURTHER URGES narwhal range states to respond to the recommendations of the Scientific Committee in 1999 to undertake genetic and telemetry studies to identify stocks and improve catch reporting, as well as to assess the potential impact of threats including radionuclide contamination; FURTHER URGES all Contracting Governments to respond to the Scientific Committee’s requests to report progress on the conservation of critically endangered species, including baiji; ENCOURAGES Contracting Governments to offer technical, scientific and financial support to range states to assist their small cetacean conservation measures;2001-13.doc 2 15/05/12 11:26 URGES the IWC under its Memorandum of Understanding with the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) to pursue complementary and mutually supportive actions in respect of small cetaceans.

Whereas the International Whaling Commission has been widely recognised as the main international body directly charged with the conservation of cetaceans and the management of whaling; Recognising that the evolution of whale research methods, management alternatives and the sustainable use of whale resources, as well as that of international law since the adoption of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) in 1946 has led the role of the Commission to evolve through the adoption of more than a hundred conservation-oriented resolutions, as well as through various Schedule amendments to include, inter alia, the management of non-lethal appropriation of whale resources, as well as the maintenance of healthy cetacean populations to fulfill the vital ecological and carbon cycling roles these animals play in the global marine ecosystem functioning; Acknowledging that there are diverging views among Member States of the Commission regarding how the IWC´s mandate should be adequately implemented, in a manner that would satisfy the broadest interest of all humankind in the conservation of cetaceans and their habitats, while recognizing the importance of accommodating the needs of indigenous people who are dependent upon whales for subsistence and cultural purposes; Recalling Resolution 2007-3 on the non-lethal use of cetaceans and further acknowledging that cetaceans make significant contributions to ecosystem functioning and are beneficial for the natural environment and people, and that the sustainable, non-lethal and non-extractive use of whales is a rapidly growing activity deserving of recognition that provides significant socio-economic benefits for coastal communities around the world, particularly in developing countries; Reaffirming that the moratorium on commercial whaling, which has been in effect since 1986, has contributed to the recovery of some cetacean populations, and AWARE of the cumulative effects of multiple, existing and emerging threats to cetacean populations such as entanglement, bycatch, underwater noise, ship strikes, marine debris and climate change; Noting that Whale Sanctuaries have been repeatedly proposed by member States under Article V of the ICRW with the support of a majority of the Contracting governments in areas where non-lethal activities have provided relevant scientific results, jobs and income for coastal communities, Further noting Resolution 2018-1 on the Response to the Independence Review of the International Whaling Commission; Now, therefore the Commission: Agrees that the role of the International Whaling Commission in the 21st Century includes inter alia its responsibility to ensure the recovery of cetacean populations to their pre-industrial levels, and in this context reaffirms the importance in maintaining the moratorium on commercial whaling; Acknowledges the existence of an abundance of contemporary non-lethal cetacean research methods and therefore agrees that the use of lethal research methods is unnecessary; Seeks to ensure that aboriginal subsistence whaling for the benefit of indigenous communities should meet the Commission's management and conservation objectives, taking into account the safety of hunters and the welfare of cetaceans; Instructs the Commission’s relevant subsidiary bodies to take into account the need to adequately fund conservation and non-lethal management issues when implementing the plan to be developed by the Working Group on Operational Effectiveness according to Resolution 2018-1;  

RECALLING the objective of the 1946 International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling to safeguard the natural resources represented by whale stocks for the benefit of future generations; NOTING that many coastal States, including developing countries, have adopted policies of non-lethal use of cetaceans in the waters under their jurisdiction, in accordance with their sovereign rights reinforced by, inter alia, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Rio Declaration; AWARE that most whale species are highly migratory and thus shared biodiversity resources; CONCERNED that negotiations aimed at resolving the impasses at the International Whaling Commission must address the issue of non-lethal use to take into account the interests of a substantial portion of IWC membership; NOTING that, under domestic management by coastal States, non-lethal utilization of whales is a rapidly growing activity that provides substantial socio-economic opportunities, including promoting employment in coastal communities, especially in developing countries; NOTING FURTHER that the moratorium on commercial whaling has been in effect since 1986 and has contributed to the recovery of some cetacean populations essential for the promotion of non-lethal uses in many countries; CONCERNED that whales in the 21st Century face a wider range of threats than those envisaged when the ICRW was concluded in 1946; NOTING that the Buenos Aires Declaration states that “high quality and well managed implementation of whale watching tourism promotes economic growth and social and cultural development of local communities, bringing educational and scientific benefits, whilst contributing to the protection of cetacean populations”; NOW THEREFORE THE COMMISSION: RECOGNISES the valuable benefits that can be derived from the non-lethal uses of cetaceans as a resource, both in terms of socio-economic and scientific development; RECOGNISES non-lethal use as a legitimate management strategy; ENCOURAGES member States to work constructively towards the incorporation of the needs of non-lethal users of whale resources in any future decisions and agreements.