Conf. 9.14 (Rev. CoP13)*

Conservation of and trade in African and Asian rhinoceroses

CONCERNED that some rhinoceros populations have continued to decline drastically and that four of the five species are threatened with extinction;

RECALLING that the Conference of the Parties included all species of rhinoceros in Appendix I of the Convention in 1977, and that the South African population of Ceratotherium simum simum was transferred to Appendix II with an annotation in 1994;

RECALLING further Resolution Conf. 3.11 and Resolution Conf. 6.10, adopted by the Conference of the Parties at its third and sixth meetings respectively (New Delhi, 1981; Ottawa, 1997), and Decision 10.45, adopted at its 10th meeting (Harare, 1997), all relating to the conservation of and trade in rhinoceros;

COMMENDING the successful management and protection of rhinoceroses in some African and Asian range States, often under difficult circumstances;

COMMENDING further the measures taken by countries to control and reduce use of rhinoceros horn, especially countries where use is part of a cultural tradition extending back many centuries;

CONCLUDING that the above measures have not arrested the decline of all rhinoceros populations;

RECOGNIZING that the illegal trade in rhinoceros horn is known to be a global law enforcement problem, extending beyond range States and traditional consuming countries, but that emphasis solely on law enforcement has failed to remove the threat to rhinoceroses;

CONSCIOUS that stocks of rhinoceros horn continue to accumulate in some countries and that the call for their destruction, as recommended by Resolution Conf. 6.10, has not been implemented and is no longer considered appropriate by a number of Parties;

RECOGNIZING that some international measures may have unintended consequences, for example, on trade;

RECOGNIZING that there is a diversity of opinion as to the most effective approaches to the conservation of rhinoceroses;

CONCERNED that threats to rhinoceros populations still exist, and that the cost of ensuring adequate security for them is increasing and cannot easily be met by many range States;

THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE CONVENTION

URGES:

a) all Parties that have stocks of rhinoceros horn to identify, mark, register and secure all such stocks;

b) all Parties to adopt and implement comprehensive legislation and enforcement controls, including internal trade restrictions and penalties, aimed at reducing illegal trade in rhinoceros parts and derivatives;

c) the Secretariat, where possible, to assist those Parties with inadequate legislation, enforcement, or control of stocks, by providing them technical advice and relevant information;

d) range States to be vigilant in their law enforcement efforts, including the prevention of illegal hunting and the early detection of potential offenders;

e) that law enforcement cooperation between and among States be increased in order to curtail illegal trade in rhinoceros horn; and

f) the consumer States, as a matter of priority, to work with all user groups and industries to develop and implement strategies for reducing the use and consumption of rhinoceros parts and derivatives;

DIRECTS the Standing Committee to continue to pursue actions aimed at reducing illegal trade, ensuring that:

a) all such actions are accompanied by evaluations of their effectiveness;

b) appropriate, cost-effective, standardized indicators of success are developed and/or refined to measure changes in levels of illegal hunting and of the status of rhinoceros populations in the range States; and

c) the policies that guide interventions are responsive and adaptive to the outcome of evaluations;

RECOMMENDS that those range States without a budgeted conservation and management plan for rhinoceros should develop and implement one as expeditiously as possible, utilizing all available relevant expertise and resources;

RECOMMENDS further that those range States with an existing, budgeted plan for rhinoceros should endeavour to implement the plan as expeditiously as possible, and should undertake a review of the adequacy of enforcement and trade control measures therein;

CALLS upon all Governments and intergovernmental organizations, international aid agencies and non-governmental organizations to provide funds to implement rhinoceros conservation activities, especially efforts to prevent the illegal killing of rhinoceroses and to control and monitor the illegal trade in rhinoceros horn;

CALLS for constructive engagement amongst all Parties to the Convention and synergy between the Convention and the IUCN/SSC Rhino Specialist Groups to achieve the aims of this Resolution; and

REPEALS the Resolutions listed hereunder:

a) Resolution Conf. 3.11 (New Delhi, 1981) – Trade in Rhinoceros Horn; and

b) Resolution Conf. 6.10 (Ottawa, 1987) – Trade in Rhinoceros Products.

 

* Amended at the 11th and 13th meetings of the Conference of the Parties.