Alumni Be a part of Forces to Defend Wildlife at Main Convention in Panama

Alumni Be a part of Forces to Defend Wildlife at Main Convention in Panama

Throughout two weeks in November, authorities representatives gathered in Panama Metropolis to place in place rules on worldwide commerce in wildlife. The nineteenth Assembly of the Convention of the Events to the Conference on Worldwide Commerce in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES COP19) — also referred to as the World Wildlife Convention — made choices that may have an effect on the way forward for greater than 600 species of animals and vegetation, together with sharks, freshwater turtles, jaguars, elephants, hippos, songbirds, tree species, orchids, and extra.

Three alumni of the MPA in Environmental Science and Coverage program at Columbia College’s Faculty of Worldwide and Public Affairs additionally participated within the convention: Shirley Binder represented Panama’s Ministry of Atmosphere, whereas Shira Yashphe and Arnaud Goessens are each working for conservation organizations, the Cheetah Conservation Fund and the Wildlife Conservation Society, respectively. All three labored to guard wild fauna and flora threatened by worldwide commerce, working carefully with nationwide governments and different stakeholders and making use of environmental coverage expertise and information they gained throughout their time at Columbia College.

Three alumni of Columbia’s MPA in Environmental Science and Coverage (MPA-ESP) program not too long ago attended the World Wildlife Convention in Panama. Shirley Binder (center) represented Panama’s Ministry of Atmosphere. Shira Yashphe (proper) works for the Cheetah Conservation Fund, and Arnaud Goessens (left) works for the Wildlife Conservation Society.

Within the Q&As beneath, discover out extra about their work and focus at CITES COP19.

Arnaud Goessens

Arnaud (@ArnaudGoessens) graduated from the MPA-ESP program in 2016. He’s affiliate director for EU Coverage on the Wildlife Conservation Society EU Workplace, primarily based in Brussels, Belgium.

What’s your position on the Wildlife Conservation Society ?

WCS is a worldwide conservation group working to save lots of wildlife and wild locations in additional than 60 nations in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and the Pacific, constructing on greater than 125 years of scientific, technical, and coverage experience. In my present place with WCS EU, I work on the science-policy interface associated to biodiversity conservation, wildlife commerce, One Well being, and pandemic prevention, and lead on engagement with the European Union and the Belgian authorities on conservation insurance policies, together with as associated to worldwide fora resembling CITES conferences. I’ve now labored at WCS for greater than 7 years and in addition spent a number of months with WCS Mozambique in 2017, coordinating counter wildlife trafficking work primarily based in Maputo.

What have been your priorities on the CITES COP19?

I used to be notably making certain additional essential and far wanted safety measures for a lot of wild animals which might be threatened by unlawful and/or unsustainable worldwide commerce, resembling sharks, turtles, songbirds, jaguars, and elephants. I additionally engaged carefully with the EU and different events to CITES to make sure that an evidence-based and a precautionary strategy is used when deciding to checklist a species within the CITES Appendices [lists offering different levels or types of protection], or to switch a species between appendices.

Total, the CITES COP19 was an enormous success for wildlife and I’m actually happy with the outcomes, which incorporates enhanced conservation measures for requiem sharks and hammerheads, freshwater turtles, songbirds, glass frogs, and plenty of different wildlife species.

Matamata turtle. Picture: Julie Larsen Maher/WCS

What position does the European Union play in combating wildlife trafficking?

As a big world market and transit hub for each authorized and unlawful wildlife and wildlife merchandise, the EU performs a key position in combating wildlife trafficking in addition to unsustainable wildlife commerce. The EU, along with its 27 member states, votes as a bloc (i.e. 27 votes) on species-related issues at CITES conferences and subsequently often is pivotal within the adoption of species itemizing proposals and different choices. The EU’s management on the worldwide stage is thus very important, specifically at CITES conferences, the place member governments determine safety measures for a lot of threatened and probably threatened wildlife species. I used to be notably happy when the EU issued a brand new, formidable motion plan in opposition to wildlife trafficking simply earlier than the CITES convention, which is able to information new EU actions in opposition to this felony exercise till 2027.

African elephants. Picture: Arnaud Goessens/WCS

Shirley Binder

Shirley (@BinderShirley) graduated from MPA-ESP in 2019, and is now the ministerial senior workplace advisor in Panama’s Ministry of Atmosphere.

Inform us extra about your present position within the Ministry of Atmosphere?

As advisor to the minister of atmosphere of Panama, I used to be accountable for the logistics and technical facets for the group of the CITES COP19, which was hosted by the federal government of Panama. As well as, I’m the worldwide negotiator for Panama at CITES and the Conference on Organic Variety conferences, and the consultant for Panama at different high-level occasions, such because the U.N. Ocean Convention. Previous to my present position, I served as nationwide director of protected areas and biodiversity, director of environmental coverage, and marine biologist within the Ministry of Atmosphere of Panama. In these roles, I centered on rising Panama’s marine protected areas for the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, and integrating communities within the administration of each marine and terrestrial protected areas.

Jaguar. Picture: Julie Larsen Maher/WCS

Why is CITES essential?

CITES is among the most essential and implementable worldwide conventions relating to species-specific conservation and safety. It’s a type of conventions for which choices are tangible, implementable, and events truly must adjust to the choice made, in any other case they get sanctioned, together with by way of commerce bans. CITES shouldn’t be purely about conservation — its position is to handle worldwide wildlife commerce by making certain it’s sustainable and authorized. CITES COPs solely happen each three years, so every COP represents a novel and decisive second for governments to agree on safety measures for species threatened by worldwide commerce.

What have been your priorities on the CITES COP19?

Panama prioritized a number of species and strategic points at COP19 however one in all our highest priorities was to get requiem and hammerhead sharks listed on Appendix II [species that are not necessarily threatened with extinction but that may become so unless trade is closely controlled]. Within the Committee session, the requiem shark proposal was authorised by a really massive majority of CITES events and the hammerhead shark proposals was adopted by consensus. Due to this success, greater than 90% of the shark fin commerce will now be regulated underneath CITES, which ought to considerably scale back unsustainable commerce, and encourage efficient administration of sharks. You will need to notice that an Appendix II itemizing shouldn’t be a commerce ban however fairly a device to make sure that the commerce in wildlife is sustainable and authorized, and that the species populations can get better and thrive.

The blue shark is a species of requiem shark. Due to latest actions at CITES COP19, commerce in these kind of sharks will likely be extra regulated. Picture: Hannes Klostermann / Ocean Picture Financial institution

Shira Yashphe

Shira graduated from the MPA-ESP program in 2017 and now’s wildlife crime lead on the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF).

What’s your position on the Cheetah Conservation Fund?

For the final 4 years, I’ve been main the Cheetah Conservation Fund’s (CCF’s) wildlife crime and worldwide coverage work. Based in 1990 by Dr. Laurie Marker, CCF works to guard the cheetah from threats to its survival throughout its vary. There are presently lower than 7,500 cheetahs left within the wild, with the species going through threats starting from local weather change and habitat loss to low genetic variety and illness. Within the final 15 years, a further risk, that of the unlawful commerce in cheetah cubs, started to emerge as a severe risk to the East African cheetah inhabitants. Main each our wildlife crime work and our worldwide coverage engagement, I develop and implement tasks to cease the commerce in addition to characterize CCF, together with Dr. Marker, at worldwide conventions resembling CITES.

What have been your priorities on the CITES COP19?

Representing CCF, my goal was to advertise regional collaboration to cease the trafficking. It was our hope that we might convey each East African and Arabian Peninsula nations collectively to declare the necessity to crack down on the unlawful commerce and cease it earlier than it’s too late. We didn’t obtain that, sadly, this time, however there was recognition that the cheetah trafficking is certainly a risk to cheetahs and that focus needs to be given to the dwell unlawful commerce in cubs in two devices newly established underneath CITES, specifically the African Carnivores Initiative and the Huge Cats Process Drive. We are going to proceed to interact the 2 areas on both sides of the Gulf of Aden and hope they may work collectively as quickly as doable.

What are your expectations for the longer term?

Personally, I’m hopeful that the conference can transfer away from a worrying pattern I’m seeing – that of specializing in maximizing commerce as a substitute of making certain that it’s sustainable and doesn’t hurt species. If previously sustainability was at its core, there’s increasingly vernacular round “maximal” use — which works in opposition to the conference. The conference was established to guard species from over-use and isn’t a conference to maximise monetary positive factors in any respect prices.

I additionally want that the welfare of particular person animals will likely be included in discussions and choices, as presently events to the Conference are convening to debate and determine on the destiny and use of (i.e. killing) of residing beings with out registering that animals are, very like human beings, sentient creatures.

Cheetah. Picture: Julie Larsen Maher/WCS

Learn extra tales from World Wildlife Convention in Panama: