Shifeta irked by CITES
12 March 2021 | Environment
Environment, forestry and tourism minister Pohamba Shifeta is disappointed by the “arrogant” modus operandi of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which he said does not take southern Africa’s input into account.
CITES is a global agreement among governments, of which Namibia is part, that regulates or ban international trade in species under threat.
“From my observation, the last conference of CITES was a disappointing moment for conservationists and governments from southern Africa. No consideration was given to countries who confidently proposed their successful wildlife management plan,” Shifeta said during the premiere and launch of videos on CITES and ‘The Last Rhino’ documentaries in the capital on Wednesday.
The documentaries are aimed at exploring the limitations behind successfully conserving Namibia’s wildlife species nationally and internationally.
According to Shifeta, CITES favours theories over practical solutions. “There are countries that are not based on scientific theories but rather politicise the whole matter,” he asserted.
Shifeta demanded respect for southern African countries, who he said appeared to be at the mercy of the powers that be. “As [the] Southern African Development Community (SADC) that holds the largest population of rhino species, our tolerance is being tested as our conservation programmes are being undermined by CITES on the influence of some animal rights groups.”
He stressed that CITES policy imposed restrictions work against Namibia and several other SADC countries’ long-term strategic plans for wildlife management, noting that Namibia as an active attendee has observed that the steering committees failed to understand the success of the country’s world-renowned conservation efforts and continuously fail to do so. – Nampa
CITES is a global agreement among governments, of which Namibia is part, that regulates or ban international trade in species under threat.
“From my observation, the last conference of CITES was a disappointing moment for conservationists and governments from southern Africa. No consideration was given to countries who confidently proposed their successful wildlife management plan,” Shifeta said during the premiere and launch of videos on CITES and ‘The Last Rhino’ documentaries in the capital on Wednesday.
The documentaries are aimed at exploring the limitations behind successfully conserving Namibia’s wildlife species nationally and internationally.
According to Shifeta, CITES favours theories over practical solutions. “There are countries that are not based on scientific theories but rather politicise the whole matter,” he asserted.
Shifeta demanded respect for southern African countries, who he said appeared to be at the mercy of the powers that be. “As [the] Southern African Development Community (SADC) that holds the largest population of rhino species, our tolerance is being tested as our conservation programmes are being undermined by CITES on the influence of some animal rights groups.”
He stressed that CITES policy imposed restrictions work against Namibia and several other SADC countries’ long-term strategic plans for wildlife management, noting that Namibia as an active attendee has observed that the steering committees failed to understand the success of the country’s world-renowned conservation efforts and continuously fail to do so. – Nampa
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