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not an official document.
Exploitation levels of sturgeons, snakes, tortoises and freshwater turtles also under review
- (left to right) Mr Carlos Ibero Solana, chairman of the Animals Committee,
Mr John E. Scanlon, CITES Secretary-General, Mr David Morgan, Chief of
Scientific Services of the CITES Secretariat
Geneva, 15 March 2012 – Over 200 participants from around the world are attending the 26th meeting of the Animals Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to be held in Geneva from 15 to 20 March 2012. Among the topics to be discussed, experts will evaluate the implications of climate change on the management of species in international trade. They will also discuss the scientific criteria to determine when sharks and other aquatic species qualify for CITES protection.
The CITES Animal Committee provides technical and scientific advice to help ensure the sustainability of international trade in wildlife products obtained from over 4,500 species of animals, including caviar from sturgeons and reptile skins used in luxury goods.
The 26th meeting of the Animals Committee will be followed by three scientific meetings that will be held in Dublin, Ireland: a joint session of the 26th meeting of the Animals Committee and the 20th meeting of the Plants Committees, from 22 to 24 March; the fifth meeting of the Chairs of the Scientific Advisory Bodies of the Biodiversity-related Conventions (CSAB), on 25 March; and the 20th meeting of the Plants Committee, from 26 to 30 March.
Note to editors: The documents for the 26th meeting of the Animals Committee and the 20th meeting of the Plants Committees, are available at.
For more information, please contact Juan Carlos Vasquez à +41 22 917 8156 or [email protected].