SANBI Scientific Report Counters Cites Proposal To Declare Hippo “At Threat Of Extinction.”
HIPPOS NOT MOVED TO CITES APPENDIX I AS REQUESTED BY WEST-AFRICAN COUNTRIES
17 November 2022, Panama City – A proposal to amend the CITES Appendices (CoP19 Prop. 1 (Rev. 1)) with regards to the listing of hippopotamus (hippos) was submitted and supported by Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Gabon, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo.
The original amendment proposal expressed the need to move hippos from Appendix II to Appendix I.
• Appendix I lists species facing the threat of extinction. Trading in species on this list is permitted only in exceptional circumstances.
• Appendix II lists species not necessarily threatened with extinction, but trade must be controlled to avoid over-utilization which may threaten the species’ survival.
A revised document submitted later, changed the proposal to “A zero export quota for wild specimens traded for commercial purposes.”
South Africa submitted a Scientific Assessment for hippos, compiled by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), countering the claims made by the proponents of CoP19 Prop. 1 (Rev. 1), finding:
“The scientific assessment undertaken for Hippopotamus amphibius (hippopotamus) demonstrates that international trade poses a low risk to this species in South Africa (Figures 1 and 2). The national hippo population is stable and apart from some poaching in Ndumo Game Reserve, there is no evidence of overuse anywhere in South Africa. The species is well managed and there are no current concerns relating to the harvest of the species.”
It is worth mentioning that there are two revisions of the proposal, sandwiching the Secretariat’s Assessment of the proposals to amend Appendices I and II.
Document list:
CoP19 Prop. 1 – CONSIDERATION OF PROPOSALS FOR AMENDMENT OF APPENDICES I AND II
CoP19 Prop. 1 (Rev.1) – CONSIDERATION OF PROPOSALS FOR AMENDMENT OF APPENDICES I AND II
CoP19 Doc. 89.1 (Rev.1) – SECRETARIAT’S ASSESSMENT OF THE PROPOSALS TO AMEND APPENDICES I AND II
CoP19 Doc. 89.2 – COMMENTS FROM PARTIES
CoP19 Inf. 83 – SCIENTIFIC ASSESSMENT FOR HIPPOPOTAMUS AMPHIBIUS
(HIPPOPOTAMUS)
Timeline of revision
The first version of the proposal document, posted 12 August 2022, proposed the “Transfer Hippopotamus amphibius from CITES Appendix II to Appendix I,” in paragraph A.
The Secretariat’s Assessment of the proposal was summarized as:
The findings in the Secretariat’s document states that the global population of hippos do not appear to be small, nor does the species have a restricted area of distribution. While hippo populations in some range states have occurred, in other states the population is either stable or increasing. The main exporters of hippo products are also from eastern and southern Africa, where many national hippo populations appear to be stable or increasing and where utilization appears to be sustainable.
The Secretariat found that: “Hippopotamus amphibius does not meet the criteria in Annex 1 of Resolution Conf. 9.24 (Rev. CoP17) for inclusion in Appendix I” and therefor recommended that the proposal be rejected. (CoP19 Doc. 89.1 – p. 45)
In the posted Comments from Parties on the Proposals to amend Appendices I and II, the United States of America in a letter to the CITES Secretariat dated 15 September 2022, pointed out that the proponents of the proposal “did not indicate the exact Criterion under Resolution Conf. 9.24 (Rev. CoP17), Annex 1, paragraph C, that the species meets.” They go on to state that the proposal does not indicate whether the proponents believe the species meets this criterion, either.
The USA suggested the proponents should clarify which criteria under Resolution Conf.9.24 (Rev. CoP17) hippos meet, and to tie the data to their proposal on how the species meets the criteria.
A revised version of the proposal document was then published for discussion on 11 November 2022 – just 3 days before the start of COP19 – which changed the language of the proposal to: “A zero export quota for wild specimens traded for commercial purposes.”
On 16 November 2022, South Africa submits CoP19 Inf. 83 – SCIENTIFIC ASSESSMENT FOR HIPPOPOTAMUS AMPHIBIUS (HIPPOPOTAMUS) compiled by SANBI with the conclusion: “The scientific assessment undertaken for Hippopotamus amphibius (hippopotamus) demonstrates that international trade poses a low risk to this species in South Africa (Figures 1 and 2). The national hippo population is stable and apart from some poaching in Ndumo Game Reserve, there is no evidence of overuse anywhere in South Africa. The species is well managed and there are no current concerns relating to the harvest of the species.”
The Benin CITES Management Authority hosted a side event on 17 November 2022 to promote their proposal, though the CITES Daily schedule still listed the event as a promotion of the proposal to “transfer Hippos from App.II to App.I” and not the revised “zero export quota for wild specimens traded for commercial purposes.”
A final resolution on the proposal has not yet been published.
18-11-2022- SUCo Representatives at CITES CoP19
