During the 38th Session of the World Heritage Committee, the Committee lamented the impacts of poaching and illicit wildlife trade on World Heritage Sites and called for strengthened cooperation with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to protect listed Sites.
23 June 2014: During the 38th Session of the World Heritage Committee, the Committee lamented the impacts of poaching and illicit wildlife trade on World Heritage Sites and called for strengthened cooperation with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to protect listed Sites.
Half of the 14 African World Heritage Sites monitored under the CITES Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) programme are currently on the World Heritage Sites “in danger” list. During its session, the Committee added the Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania to this list, due to the poaching crisis. The decision follows expressions of concern by Director General of the UN Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Irina Bokova, and Secretary-General of CITES, John Scanlon in 2013 and calls on the World Heritage Centre and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to strengthen their cooperation with CITES.
Also during the session, Botswana’s Okavango Delta, known for its rich biodiversity, was listed as 1,000th World Heritage Site. The 38th Session of the World Heritage Committee was held in Doha, Qatar. [CITES News] [IUCN News] [IUCN News][World Heritage Committee webpage]