Since 1994, Japan and Norway have regularly submitted proposals to CITES seeking to weaken protection for the great whales.  This year, Japan proposed a full review of the population status of all 13 great whale species by CITES, while Iceland submitted a proposal for review of the fin whale.   Today’s rejection of these proposals by an overwhelming majority of Parties immediately follows losses for Japan, Iceland and Norway at the annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) held in Anchorage, Alaska from May 28 to May 31.  The

In its survey carried out in February 2007, IFAW found that 94% of elephant ivory for sale on eBay sites was potentially illegal. The report also found that eBay policies varied from country to country and were often vague and not enforced.

WEMS works by collecting, compiling, analyzing and disseminating on a global scale the information it collects on wildlife crime.  In contrast to the Interpol system, which acts as a central database for official information submitted by national enforcement authorities, the WEMS system relies on information provided by private organizations.  Additionally, while Interpol’s information is shared exclusively with national enforcement officials, WEMS works to elevate public awareness by disseminating selected information it collects to the public-at-large.&nbs

The sale of the 60 tonne stockpiles approved in 2002 at the 12th meeting of the CITES Conference of the Parties (CoP) was contingent upon certain conditions being met, including the availability of baseline and comparative data from the Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants system (MIKE).

Proposals that would allow for the international commercial trade of elephant ivory are heating up to be the most contentious of the dozens of proposals to be voted on.