19.192 to 19.196 West African vultures (Accipitridae spp.)

Decision directed to
19.192
Decision directed to:
West African range States (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo)
West African range States for Gyps africanus (Whitebacked vulture), Gyps fulvus (Griffon vulture), Gyps rueppelli (Rüppell’s vulture), Necrosyrtes monachus (Hooded vulture), Neophron percnopterus (Egyptian vulture), Torgos tracheliotos (Lappet-faced vulture), and Trigonoceps occipitalis (White-headed vulture) are urged to: a) integrate illegal vulture trade considerations into their implementation of the West Africa Strategy on Combatting Wildlife Crime (WASCWC) and any decisions relating to Wildlife crime enforcement support in West and Central Africa adopted by the Conference of the Parties at its 19th meeting; b) ensure that national laws to protect vultures and control trade in vulture parts and derivatives are effectively implemented, and ensure that penalties for non-compliance are sufficient to deter illegal trade; c) ensure that any international trade in West African vultures is not allowed except in accordance with CITES requirements, and if international trade is found not to be in accordance with CITES requirements, consider implementing a zero export quota; d) follow Resolution Conf. 16.7 (Rev. CoP17) on Non-detriment findings, and, in cases where there is an interest in exporting globally threatened vulture species, consider submitting non-detriment findings for the export of vulture specimens to the Secretariat for inclusion on the CITES website and review by the Animals Committee; e) identify any trade-related issues associated with the implementation of the Multi-species Action Plan to Conserve African-Eurasian Vultures (Vulture MsAP) 2017-2029 of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS); f) work with relevant experts and organizations for implementing demand reduction strategies for vultures and their parts and derivatives including for belief-based use and consumption and, where appropriate, expand the implementation of strategies that have been successful; g) work with relevant organizations to initiate wide-scale public awareness campaigns at regional, national and local levels about the impacts of trade in these species, including the importance of vulture species to ecology and human health, the negative impacts of belief-based use of vulture body parts, and existing national and international legislation that protects vultures; and h) provide information to the Secretariat on the implementation of this Decision to assist it in reporting to the Animals Committee and Standing Committee, as appropriate.
19.193
Decision directed to:
Parties, West African range States and relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations
Parties, West African range States and relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations are encouraged, subject to resources, to: a) collaborate in the conservation and restoration of West African vultures and support the implementation of the Multi-species Action Plan to Conserve African-Eurasian Vultures (Vulture MsAP) 2017-2029 of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS); and b) gather and exchange scientific knowledge and expertise on West African vultures, with a particular focus on: i) documenting the scale of vulture trade by surveying markets in and outside West Africa, and identifying inter-regional and international trade routes; ii) characterizing links between poisoning and trade in vultures, and contributing to the African Wildlife Poison Database; and iii) updating the conservation and population status information of West African vultures, and Gyps africanus (white-backed vultures), Gyps rueppellii (Rüppell’s vultures) and Torgos tracheliotus (lappet-faced vultures) in particular.
19.194
Decision directed to:
Secretariat
The Secretariat shall: a) cooperate with the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) partner organizations, regional and subregional wildlife enforcement networks, and competent national authorities, where relevant and feasible, to consider vultures in the context of ICCWC’s enforcement and capacity-building efforts in West Africa; b) subject to external funding, support the production of identification materials focusing on parts and derivatives of vulture species for use by law enforcement officials; c) liaise with the Secretariat of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) to assist in the implementation of the trade-related aspects of the Multi-species Action Plan to Conserve African-Eurasian Vultures (Vulture MsAP) 2017-2029 subject to external funding, and share information based on the work of the Animals Committee; d) subject to external funding, support the implementation of capacity-building activities aimed at providing support to the West African range States in implementing the trade-related aspects of the Vulture MsAP; e) in collaboration with the CMS Secretariat, consider available trade data and conservation status information from the whole geographic range of the vulture species concerned for inclusion in its reporting to the Animals and Standing Committees; and f) collect information from West African vulture range States on their implementation of Decision 19.192, and report as appropriate this and other information on the implementation of Decisions 19.192 to 19.194, paragraphs a), b), c), d) and e) to the Animals Committee and Standing Committee, at their first regular meetings following the 19th meeting of the Conference of the Parties with conclusions and recommendations for their consideration.
19.195
Decision directed to:
Animals Committee
The Animals Committee shall: a) encourage West African range States to undertake a Periodic Review of the vulture species referred to in Decision 19.192 pursuant to Resolution Conf. 14.8 (Rev. CoP19) on Periodic Review of species included in Appendices I and II, taking note of the offer of the Vulture Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature to assist range States in such an effort; b) consider any reports or requests for advice submitted by Parties with respect to the making of non-detriment findings for trade in CITES-listed West African vulture species; c) consider the reports and recommendations of the Secretariat submitted in accordance with Decision 19.194, paragraph e): and d) make recommendations as appropriate for consideration by range States, Parties, the Standing Committee and the Secretariat.
19.196
Decision directed to:
Standing Committee
The Standing Committee shall review the implementation of Decisions 19.192 to 19.195 and make recommendations as appropriate to West African vulture range States, Parties and the Secretariat, and for consideration by the Conference of the Parties at its 20th meeting.