30 August 2015: The twenty-eighth meeting of the Animals Committee (AC28) of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has commenced in Tel Aviv, Israel. Avi Gabbay, Minister of Environmental Protection, Israel, welcomed participants, highlighting that this was the first time a CITES body had met in Israel.

CITES Secretary-General John Scanlon thanked the Israeli Government, including the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, for hosting the event. He stressed that science lies at the heart of the Convention and that the scientific advice and recommendations made in the AC will provide guidance to the seventeenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP17) to CITES, which will meet in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2016. He added that while CITES is both a trade and conservation convention, some issues lie outside the AC’s remit, such as animal welfare and rights, but welcomed a diverse range of views and contributions to the discussions.

During AC28, which will convene through 3 September, participants are expected to address the conservation status and exploitation levels of CITES-listed species such as polar bear, African lion and hippopotamus, and several other species that include pangolins, sharks, snakes, stingrays and sturgeons. Other items on the agenda will include the development of guidelines for Parties to CITES to evaluate the sustainability of international trade in tortoises and freshwater turtles, and regional cooperation on the management of and trade in queen conch. The Committee will also review the implementation of the Convention relating to production systems of captive-bred and ranched animals. [CITES Secretary-General’s welcoming remarks on the 28th Meeting of the CITES Animals Committee][CITES News] [IISD RS Coverage of AC28]