23 July 2012: A new report finds that international trade in wildlife contributes substantially to the livelihoods of the rural poor, and indigenous and local communities (ILCs). The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) commissioned the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) to analyze trade trends in protected species and prepare the report, which covers species listed in CITES Appendix II from 1996-2010.

The findings include: an increase in mammal skins in trade, particularly in the years 2006-2008; a decrease in trade in caviar in the years 2005-2010; an increase in trade in timber species since 2003, in part accounted for by new listings of timber species in Appendix II; and for many species, an increase in the number of captive-produced or ranched specimens in trade, with a decrease in the number of wild specimens.

Highlights of the report also are shown in a brochure published by the CITES Secretariat. The report was distributed as an information document for the sixty-second meeting of the Standing Committee, which is meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, from 23-27 July 2012, and was funded by the European Commission. [CITES News] [Publication: CITES Trade: Recent Trends in International Trade in Appendix-II Species (1996-2010)] [Publication: CITES Trade: A Snapshot]