Lessons Learned from the Implementation of and Compliance with the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)

This legal studies research project will generate three case studies of lessons learned in relation to implementation of and compliance with national legislation of member countries to the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The rate of human-induced species extinction is 100 to 1000 times higher than non-human caused extinctions (Wilson 2016) and whilst the main cause of species extinction is habitat loss - the second cause is overexploitation, poaching and the international illegal wildlife trade (CITES 2016a; IUCN 2016; WWF 2017). We need to know the nature and extent of implementation of and compliance with CITES legislation in all member countries to fully understand the impact of legal and illegal trade on species survival, which will also help to enlighten broader research gaps related to environmental legislation and governance in general. I will identify lessons learned in relation to CITES legislation, implementation and compliance in order to provide evidence to member countries as to how their own practice can be improved and to inform other multi-lateral environmental agreements of approaches to implementation and compliance. I will widely share the three case studies of lessons learned with relevant stakeholders and policy makers in order to inform changes to CITES legislation, implementation and compliance and wider environmental governance. I will analyse academic and grey literature, the Legal Atlas legislation database of wildlife trade law and compliance data from CITES to understand what is known about the nature and extent of implementation of and compliance with CITES legislation in all 182 member countries. Based upon this analysis, I will then conduct a Delphi iterative survey followed by semi-structured interviews in relation to CITES legislation, implementation and compliance with experts and CITES members to generate three case studies of lessons learned in order to provide evidence to member countries as to how their own practice can be improved and to inform other multi-lateral environmental agreements of approaches to implementation and compliance. To inform changes to CITES legislation, implementation and compliance, I will share the three case studies with the members of the CITES National Legislation Project and present my findings at a meeting of the CITES Standing Committee, which oversees compliance. Additionally, staff of other global environmental conventions and international NGOs will be invited to the final dissemination conference in an aim to exchange knowledge between the wider environmental governance community.

In order to contribute to the decrease in species extinction from both legal and illegal wildlife trade, and to help improve international environmental governance more generally, I will draw on my global network of experts to conduct a mixed methods research project. My project will generate three case studies of lessons learned in relation to the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). By uncovering and documenting lessons learned with regards to CITES legislation, implementation and compliance, I aim to influence policy-makers and stakeholders on how to improve wildlife and environmental laws and therefore improve wildlife and environmental protection. My intention is to have three longer-term impacts. First, my aim is to contribute to environmental sustainability and protection by aiding in the decrease of the illegal wildlife trade. Second, wildlife protection will contribute to cultural and economic benefits to communities as well as play a role in protecting communities' heritage for the future. The research and its findings have the potential to alter CITES implementation and other wildlife policies and priorities in the 182 member countries. Third, I will disseminate my findings to Secretariats of other global conventions (i.e. Montreal Protocol, Convention on Biological Diversity etc.) to further the knowledge exchange on environmental governance and potentially impact upon the approaches of other conventions. In order to achieve such impact, this project has built in strategies that directly engage the stakeholders who are involved in policy-making and implementation as well as those who petition the policy-makers for change such as NGOs and charities. These strategies fall into five categories: 1. User co-production and involvement - Prior to completing this proposal, CITES and government officials, and third sector stakeholders were consulted as to the research focus and design. This included the CITES experts from the UK government. The third sector experts were staff from the World Wildlife Fund UK and International, and TRAFFIC. 2. Engagement with policy makers - Drafts of one-page briefs for each of the case studies will be circulated to a steering group and then finalised based upon these users' comments. The one-page briefs will then be shared with each of the more than 182 CITES Management and Scientific authorities. These briefs will be translated into Arabic, Chinese, French and Spanish to ensure accessibility. Using my CITES contacts, I will arrange to present the findings to the CITES Standing Committee, which oversees compliance. 3. Published outreach - An important feature of the emphasis on knowledge exchange is the refinement of research findings through dissemination to interdisciplinary practitioner audiences. Therefore the main 'academic' outputs of the project will also be targeted to policy-makers and practitioners. 4. Press and social media outreach - I will continually coordinate throughout the project with the Northumbria University Press Office in the drafting and circulation of press releases at key project milestones and in relation to emerging findings. Additionally, I will work with the Press Office to generate media attention for the presentation to the CITES Standing Committee and the Northumbria University hosted final conference. 5. Public Awareness - The general public may have limited awareness of wildlife law or CITES. To increase this awareness, efforts will be made to secure interviews with national radio programmes in the UK and in the case study countries. I will also contact my current contacts at WWF to discuss the possibility of a public awareness campaign grounded in my findings. Once people learn of the shortfalls in implementing and complying with CITES, they may further the impact of the project by supporting its call for changes to CITES implementation and compliance strategies.