Date: Sat, 15 May 1999 13:34:42 -0700 (PDT) From: Sean Barry <sjbarry@ucdavis.edu> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg1687$foo@default> Subject: Re: Biodiversity convention - farcical fact 1
On Sat, 15 May 1999, Rand Nicholson wrote:
> CITES is an ill described, mostly uninforcable (because of people who don't
> care), penalizing and proscribing document (for those that do) that lacks
> common sense.
>
> We need a convention like this, but we do not need CITES the way it stands.
> It is a blockade to the distribution of rare species that are _already_ in
> cultivation. And much more.
I don't disagree that the way some countries interpret CITES differs
somewhat from the way the convention treaty intended, but if you would
take the time to read the treaty (http://www.cites.org) you would find
that it's very easy to read and understand, it sets down rules that are
easy to understand and to follow, and the only valid reason anyone would
have to oppose its philosophy is that those people would like to be able
to commercialize wildlife and wild plants internationally without any
restrictions. Remember that without CITES, unfeeling thugs in search of a
quick and easy buck the world over would be free to visit every Sarracenia
bog, every Nephenthes site, every Mexican cactus hillside, and take and
ship every single plant. Given the exploding popularity of various
plant-collecting hobbies (I'd hate to add up how much money I've spent on
plants the past few years, and I'm just one not very dedicated grower out
of tens and hundreds of thousands worldwide, many of whom have lots of
money to spend on hundreds of plants each), there is no reason to believe
that exactly that wouldn't happen, worldwide--enough happens as it is even
_with_ CITES. Local laws might prohibit that kind of exploitation, but
those are completely unenforceable once the specimens cross an
international boundary, unless there exists some international treaty to
govern such traffic--a treaty such as CITES.
If you feel that your country is enforcing CITES rules at variance with
the convention intent, then work to bring your nation into line--contact
your legislators, quote the treaty and then quote the regulations of your
nation that are at variance, and try to get them fixed. Otherwise, as far
as I'm concerned, CITES is the only thing that stands between some
seriously threatened species and the thugs who simply don't care about
anything but the money they can make from them. I'm sorry that it gets in
some peoples' way.....
actually, no, actually I'm not sorry at all.
Sean Barry
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