International Affairs-CITES

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International trade is a threat to the survival of all eight pangolin species as a result of over-exploitation of these species for traditional medicine and food. Pangolins have been included in the Appendices to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) since the treaty was first enacted, and although all range countries of the four Asian pangolin species have zero export quotas, illegal international trade in pangolins continues to occur. African range countries have no export quotas for African pangolin species, and the reduced availability of Asian species for legal international trade has put increased pressure on African pangolins. Recently, there has been a dramatic increase in seizures of large volumes of illegal shipments of African pangolins and their parts and products.In a recent species assessment for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) Pangolin Specialist Group found all eight pangolin species to be threatened with extinction. Of the four Asian species, two were classified as Critically Endangered and two as Endangered. As a result of discussions and action concerning pangolin international trade and conservation, on December 8, 2014, at the 2014 meetings of the CITES Animals and Standing Committees, the CITES Secretariat issued CITES Notification to the Parties No. 2014/059 requesting all CITES Parties to collect information on the conservation of and trade in pangolins through a questionnaire survey instrument.Program Goal: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is providing this funding opportunity to plan, organize, and manage a workshop in collaboration with the Government of Vietnam in order to facilitate international cooperation on pangolin conservation. The Service seeks to provide a venue for pangolin range countries and governmental wildlife and enforcement agencies, non-governmental organizations and pangolin experts to present and discuss the latest pangolin population and international trade information in order to respond to CITES-prescribed calls for information and action. In addition, the Service seeks to provide an opportunity for developing a unified action plan to protect pangolin species against over-exploitation as a result of international trade. The Government of Vietnam has offered to collaborate on organization of the workshop, and therefore the Service seeks to support a workshop to be held in Vietnam. Participation of the Asian and African Range countries� and species experts is critically needed to meet the workshop objectives to ensure international cooperation from all stakeholders working for pangolin conservation.

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