TEHRAN – Iran will participate in the twentieth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES COP20), which is scheduled to be held from November 24 to December 5 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

The COP is held every two or three years to define, approve, and implement administrative, technical, and financial issues, as well as communication, measures, and programs, IRNA reported.

It will review progress in the conservation of species included in the appendices of the convention, examine proposals to upgrade or downgrade a species from appendices I and II, or add a species to the list, elaborate on documents and reports from the permanent committees, the animals and plants committees, the secretariat, and working groups.

Pursuing the funding for the convention, proposing measures to improve the effectiveness of the convention, and the function of the secretariat are among other issues to be discussed in the meeting.

The COP will be attended by high-ranking officials from the departments of environment of different countries, or even their presidents, delegations representing CITES parties, and observers who are not party to CITES, of United Nations agencies, and other international conventions. However, they cannot vote or participate in the discussions.

This year, 51 proposals were submitted, 14 focused on mammals, 4 on birds, 8 on reptiles, one on amphibians, seven on sharks and rays, two on sea cucumbers, and 12 on plants. There is one proposal on freshwater eels, one on arachnids, and one on gastropods.

CITES is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of international trade. It was drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The convention was opened for signature in 1973, and CITES entered into force on 1 July 1975.

Working group to combat wildlife trafficking

The Department of Environment (DOE) has established a working group to monitor wildlife cybercrimes and combat illegal wildlife trade, an official with the DOE said in September.

Wildlife trafficking is the third most profitable crime, following drug and weapon trafficking.

Studies indicate that 25 percent of species advertised for sale are listed as prohibited in international trade by the CITES.

From lion cubs to pythons, salamanders, Persian squirrels, rhesus monkeys, birds such as falcons, bustards, saker falcons, different types of hawks, invertebrates, reptiles such as native and non-native turtles, snakes, and iguanas are among the most common wild species that are illegally bought, sold, and kept.

The DOE, in cooperation with experts of the Wildlife Organization, is also developing another plan to combat wildlife trafficking, which will be implemented nationwide once it is approved, ISNA quoted Hamid Zoharbi as saying.

The main goal is to attract more attention to wildlife trafficking and deal with wildlife traffickers more decisively.

Strategic plan to  preserve endangered species

President Masoud Pezeshkian has issued an order, obligating the DOE to develop a strategic plan to preserve endangered species in the country.

According to the latest report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), some 154 species of Iranian vertebrates are critically endangered of extinction.

“The country needs a comprehensive and operational plan in the field of environment that covers different environmental sectors. It must include goals, assumptions, operational measures, financial resources, and results,” IRNA quoted the president as saying.

Iran is a rich country in terms of biodiversity, with about 37,500 animal species and more than 8,000 plant species. In addition, it is home to 579 bird species, 214 mammal species, 284 reptile species, 23 amphibian species, 309 freshwater fish species, and 763 marine fish species in the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, and the Caspian Sea.

Also, some 35,283 species of invertebrates have been identified in the country, out of which more than 32,600 species are arthropods. Over 94 percent of the country’s animal species diversity belongs to invertebrates and less than 6 percent to vertebrates. Insects, with at least 26,800 species, account for more than 70 percent of the country’s total species.

The Asiatic cheetah and the ostrich, whose numbers in nature have dropped to less than 25, are among the critically endangered species. Moreover, there are 5 species of Caspian sturgeon, unique in the world, that are disappearing from the Caspian waters.

According to experts, species extinction is a natural phenomenon, but the speed at which they are disappearing is concerning. Unfortunately, the current rate of extinction has accelerated in the present era due to human activities; it will have serious consequences for ecosystems and the well-being of the planet.

MT/MG