Welcome Blows Against Ivory, Shark's Fin Soup and Dodgy Pets

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) met in Panama on the 25th November. It rejected a proposal to recommence the Ivory Trade. The same Cites meeting also agreed protections to 90 species of shark, reducing their chances of being killed to make Shark's fin soup. Species of songbirds, turtles, lizards and frogs, threatened by the illegal pet trade, were also given new protections (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/nov/26/sharks-songbirds-and-species-depleted-by-pet-trade-given-extra-protections). Giving protections to an additional 500 species of animals by Cites is most welcome. True conserving of species biodiversity will only come, however, from properly protecting substantial areas of land and sea, as well as their complex ecologies. Cites only focuses on designated species.