Press release CITES CoP19 n°4
Panama

Pineapple sea cucumber (Thelenota ananas), giant sea cucumber (T. anax) and red-lined sea cucumber (T. rubralineata)
The proposal by the European Union, the Seychelles and the United States to list the 3 species of the genus Thelenota in Appendix II was accepted by 97 votes in favour with 16 against and 15 abstentions. The listing will come into force after 18 months. France, which initiated the proposal, stressed the key role of sea cucumbers in ecosystems. In the seabed, sea cucumbers have a role comparable to that of earthworms.

Press release CITES CoP19 n°3
Panama

On November 16, authorities arrested Masphal Kry, Director of Wildlife and Biodiversity at Cambodia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, in the transit zone of John F. Kennedy Airport, New York. Masphal Kry was traveling to Panama. He was expected to be the head of Cambodia’s delegation to the plenary session of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).

Press release CITES CoP19 n°2
Panama

Ipê. Latin America and the Caribbean including French Guiana
The proposal by Colombia, Panama and the European Union to list ipês in Appendix II (regulation of international trade) was adopted by 86 votes in favour, with 17 against and 18 abstentions. Appendix II will not eliminate the harvesting of ipês. Their marketing will be subject to annoying administrative checks for forest operators and buyers. The smugglers’ activities will also be more complicated.

Press release CITES CoP19 n°1

The 19th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) open today, Monday, November 14, in Panama City, the capital city of Panama, and will end on Friday, November 25. The global legal wildlife trade is worth an annual minimum 100 billion dollars. Trafficking fuelled by poaching and smuggling brings in between 7 billion and 23 billion US$ each year to international mafias.

Only in French.