CITES COP11

Decisions at CITES COP11 involved such high profile species as the African elephant, the minke whale, gray whale, hawksbill turtle, basking shark, whale shark and great white shark.

Proposals were approved to decrease protection for South Africa’s elephant population. Proposals also were approved to remove controls of trade in the brown hyena, and Darwin’s rhea. Proposals to establish trade controls for all three shark species and the spotted turtle were rejected.

Increased trade controls for other species were approved. These included, among others, the pangolin species, horned and Uvea parakeets (captured for pets), Asian box turtle (captured for food and pets), African spurred tortoise (captured for pets), Mantella frogs, coelacanth, Asian ginseng (a medicinal plant) and the monkey-puzzle tree (used for timber and sought by collectors).