The most illegally traded mammal in the world received the strongest possible global protection from trade this week after a motion was passed to protect eight species of pangolins from commercial trade.
The protection was approved at the 17th Conference of the Parties (CoP 17) of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Johannesburg, South Africa this week which prohibits any further trade of all eight species of pangolin and pangolin parts
All pangolin species have been on Appendix II of CITES since 1994, however, all trade in Asian pangolins has been banned. Additionally, pangolins are protected by national laws in most range countries. But in numerous range, transit and demand countries, there has been a severe lack of enforcement, and light penalties have undermined these laws in many nations as well.
The prohibition of trade for all eight species gives equal footing for protection under the CITES appendices, which is critical because it is practically impossible for enforcement officials to figure out to which species are which when they are in their end form as loose scales or raw meat.
The critically imperilled animal is in danger of extinction, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
WIN!!! All African Pangolins now protected at the highest level by #CITES! No objections in the room! #CoP17 pic.twitter.com/ssVGWKC9Mr
— IFAW (@action4ifaw) September 28, 2016
