16 October: The Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has published proposals for the amendment of CITES Appendices I and II. The proposals have been released ahead of the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES (COP 16), to be held in March 2013.

Several proposals concern transfer of species from Appendix II to Appendix I. According to the US proposal to transfer polar bears from Appendix II to Appendix I, a precautionary approach, which includes polar bears in CITES Appendix I, is viewed as necessary to ensure that primarily commercial trade does not compound the threats posed to the species by loss of habitat.

Many other proposals concern transfer of species from Appendix I to Appendix II. According to Tanzania, the proponent of the proposal to transfer the population of the African elephant in Tanzania to Appendix II, the proposal aims at promoting sustainable conservation of the elephant population in Tanzania such that the revenue generated from the sale of the ivory stockpile shall be reinvested into wildlife conservation in protected and non-protected areas, and support development activities of communities living within the elephant ecosystems.

Finally, a number of other species are proposed for listing in Appendix II. The proposal for listing the porbeagle shark is significantly updated since the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES (COP 15). As the proponents of this proposal – Brazil, Comoros, Croatia, Denmark on behalf of the EU, and Egypt – write that the EU trade data are added, following the introduction of species-specific codes in 2010. New data added from the 2010 Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) Expert Panel report also are included. [Proposals for Amendment of Appendices I and II]