Can CITES save sharks from extinction?

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has wrapped up in Bangkok. Representatives from 178 countries, as well as trade groups and conservationists, deliberated on some 70 proposals during the meeting, which began on March 3, and is held every three years.  

The delegates have agreed on sanctions for countries that support trafficking in rhino horns and ivory, and they also struck a deal on trying to stop the illegal trade in sharks and manta rays.

Trade in more than 35,000 species is already limited, if not banned, but the shark trade is big business.

Around 100 million sharks are killed every year, mostly for their fins.
 
In country’s like China, shark-fin soup is a luxury enjoyed by the upper class, and as a result, shark populations have been decimated around the world.
 
As much as 90 percent of the world’s sharks have disappeared over the last 100 years because of overfishing.

As CITES moved to protect five species of sharks, a permit system will now control the trade in their fins. Countries now have 18 months to introduce new measures.

Moreover, the meeting reached a deal where governments have increased protection for the South African Rhino – putting pressure on Mozambique – a major transit point for Rhino horn – and on Vietnam, the main importer.

But there will not be immediate trade sanctions against countries engaged in the ivory trade.

Instead, all countries will have to report their stockpiles of ivory and nine countries have been given a year to improve enforcement.
 
But conservationists say anything short of a global ban creates uncertainty, which is exploited by poachers and traders.
 
And as with many threatened species, conservationists say enforcement is just a first step and that ountries also need to find ways of reducing the demand for the animals and animal products, and only that can ensure their long-term survival.

So, what will it take to enforce the deal? And is stopping the illegal trade in endangered species even possible?

Inside Story, with presenter Jane Dutton, discusses with guests: Colman O’Criodain, a trade policy analyst at the World Wildlife Fund and a biologist; Susan Lieberman, the head of the Pew’s environmental trust CITES delegation; and Tom Quinn, from the International Fund for Animal Welfare.