International body engages China to respect treaties on wildlife protection

MANILA, Philippines — United Nations-backed Conference of Parties (COP) on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) continues to engage China to observe international treaties seeking to stop the hunting and trade of wild animals.

“We are trying to work to bring China on board. We are engaging them. Five to six years ago the engagement is very low, but we continue to work with them,” CMS executive secretary Bradnee Chambers said Saturday on the sidelines of the closing ceremony of the week-long 12th Convention on the CMS hosted by the Philippines.

Chambers said their group's continued engagement with China is bearing some positive developments such as the People's Republic of China's recent rule on banning the serving of sharks fin soup and other endangered exotic animals in government banquets.

Chambers said they are continuously working encouraging China and other Asian countries to be signatories to the CMS, the first and only global intergovernmental treaty established exclusively for the “conservation and management of terrestrial, marine and avian migratory species throughout their range.”

“There is possibility to get China on board. What we need is positive engagements. We, the United Nations, aims to work with all countries, including those who are violating some of the principles in protecting our species,” Chambers said.

“There are quite few parties in Asia that are not members. But we are encouraging other parties to look at CMS and become members,” CMS standing committee chair Oystein Storkensen added..

China has been known for trading wild species for delicacies, medicines, amulets and ornaments.

Meanwhile, Department of Environment and Natural Resources undersectary Rodolfo Garcia said the the Philippine and other CMS-member states are also working on formalizing a resolution for the protection of species passing through the contested South China Sea.

“We are looking for a formalized resolution that could foster common understanding among the claimant states in that contested part of the region. We are looking for a common cause that could be the basis for common understanding and be able to somehow promote cooperation in this field (protection of migratory species) among countries that are in contest in the area,” Garcia said.

Aside from China and the Philippines, the Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam also have claims over the mineral-rich South China Sea.

Protection of Butanding, 4 other species

Meanwhile, Conference of Parties to the CMS adopted all the five resolutions submitted by the Philippines seeking greater protection for whale sharks or Butanding and four other species frequenting the country.

At the closing ceremony of the COP convention held in Manila from October 23 to 28, the body ruled to adopt separate resolutions seeking the inclusion of whale shark (Butanding), Chistmas Island frigatebird (Fregata andewsi), yellow bunting (Emberiza sulphurata), black noddy (Anous minutes) and white-spotted wedgefish (Rhyncobatus australiae) in the CMS Appendix.

With the adoption of the resolutions, the Butandings will now be included in Appendix I of the CMS, while maintaining its status under Appendix II.

Appendix I covers migratory species threatened with extinction. As such, CMS-member countries shall strive to strictly protect these species, conserve and protect their habitat and mitigate obstacles and other factors that might endanger them.

Appendix II, meanwhile, covers migratory species that need or could benefit from international cooperation. Thus, CMS-member states are encouraged to forge global or regional agreements for their protection.

Aside from the Butanding, the Christmas Island frigatebird is now included in the Appendix I of the CMS.

The Christmas Island frigatebird is a critically endangered specie that breeds exclusively on Christmas Island in Australia but includes the Philippines in its migration range.

Yellow bunting, worcesteri sub-species of black noddy and white-spotted wedgefish, meanwhile, are now included in the Appendix II of the CMS.

“This is a victory not only for the environment but also for future generations because this is our way of contributing to global efforts to protect these species and ensure that they will still be enjoyed by our grandchildren and their children,” DENR undersecretary and chair of the CMS-COP 12 organizing committee Ernesto Adobo Jr. said.

There are currently 194 countries who are signatory to the CMS.

The convention of parties to the CMS is held every three years to adopt policies and laws and propose new species under the framework. India is set to host the next conference in 2020.