Endangered Species and Wildlife Souvenir FAQ
What can I do if I suspect I've seen endangered species products for sale?
What is CITES? How many appendices are there and what do they mean?
Surely if a species truly was endangered, then it would not be so openly for sale in my holiday resort?
Sadly, this is not always true. On some occasions, the species in question may not be protected by national legislation, which means it only becomes illegal when transported over international borders (under CITES). In addition, law enforcement in many countries may be corrupt, overworked, under-resourced or have insufficient knowledge about or interest in wildlife conservation. This can easily make them turn a blind eye to the sale of endangered species. In some countries, animals may be seen simply as commodities to be exploited whose value increases as they become more endangered. In others, there is little general acceptance of the idea of species becoming endangered or dying out, especially if the product in question is seen as 'traditional' or has been extracted and sold for many years.
What can I do if I suspect I've seen endangered species products for sale?
IFAW urges you to report suspicious products to the local police, your tour operator, hotel management or the local tourism authority. Alert your fellow tourists so they know what to avoid.
You may consider telling the vendor that you prefer to buy products which are not made from wild animals. Remember, this trade is driven by supply and demand - if we don't buy, they won't die!
Don't local people often depend upon the sale of wildlife souvenirs for their livelihood? Will they lose out if I stop spending?
Just because you stop buying wildlife products
doesn't mean you have to stop shopping. There are many sound alternatives
available, such as handicrafts made by local artisians or collectives, with
profits going directly to local communities rather than poachers or traders who
take the lion's share of the profits.
Safeguarding a country's wildlife and natural
heritage is the most sustainable way of securing the future for
the people who depend on it for survival.
What is CITES? How many appendices are there and what do they mean?
The CITES convention was signed in 1973. Since then 169 countries have joined. CITES is designed to ensure that international trade does not detrimentally affect any species. It can only regulate the international trade in an animal or plant (or its parts), so it cannot stop the hunting of an animal within a country. However, most countries also have equivalent national legislation protecting endangered species. The effectiveness of national legislation depends on many factors including the behaviour of tourists to the country.
CITES lists species on three appendices:
Appendix I
These species are those most endangered and threatened with extinction. Trade is allowed only under exceptional circumstances and requires both an export and an import permit.
Appendix II
These species may become threatened with extinction and trade is strictly controlled by requiring export permits. This appendix also contains a 'lookalike clause', which bans the trade in non-endangered species which are hard to tell apart from others which are endangered. Tourists buying a ‘lookalike’ species product could still risk a hefty fine and prison term.
Appendix III
These species are protected in at least one country, which requests the help of other range countries to prevent unsustainable or illegal exploitation. Export permits are required.
For more information on on CITES, visit www.cites.org.
Elephant foot stools on sale in a tourist shop at Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
Painted tribal masks - an alternative to wildlife souvenirs. Photo © IFAW/T. Samson
