Alumni Join Forces to Protect Wildlife at Major Conference in Panama
During two weeks in November, federal government representatives collected in Panama City to put in location guidelines on worldwide sell wildlife. The 19th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES COP19)– also known as the World Wildlife Conference– made decisions that will affect the future of more than 600 species of plants and animals, including sharks, freshwater turtles, jaguars, elephants, hippos, songbirds, tree types, orchids, and more.
3 alumni of the MPA in Environmental Science and Policy program at Columbia Universitys School of International and Public Affairs likewise took part in the conference: Shirley Binder represented Panamas Ministry of Environment, while Shira Yashphe and Arnaud Goessens are both working for preservation companies, the Cheetah Conservation Fund and the Wildlife Conservation Society, respectively. All 3 worked to secure wild fauna and plants threatened by global trade, working closely with national federal governments and other stakeholders and applying environmental policy skills and knowledge they got throughout their time at Columbia University.
3 alumni of Columbias MPA in Environmental Science and Policy (MPA-ESP) program just recently participated in the World Wildlife Conference in Panama. Shirley Binder (middle) represented Panamas Ministry of Environment. Shira Yashphe (ideal) works for the Cheetah Conservation Fund, and Arnaud Goessens (left) works for the Wildlife Conservation Society.
In the Q&A s listed below, discover more about their work and focus at CITES COP19.
Arnaud Goessens
Arnaud (@ArnaudGoessens) graduated from the MPA-ESP program in 2016. He is associate director for EU Policy at the Wildlife Conservation Society EU Office, based in Brussels, Belgium.
What is your role at the Wildlife Conservation Society?
WCS is a global preservation organization working to conserve wildlife and wild places in more than 60 countries in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and the Pacific, developing on more than 125 years of clinical, technical, and policy competence. In my existing position with WCS EU, I work at the science-policy interface related to biodiversity conservation, wildlife trade, One Health, and pandemic prevention, and lead on engagement with the European Union and the Belgian government on conservation policies, including as associated to international fora such as CITES meetings. Ive now operated at WCS for more than 7 years and also invested numerous months with WCS Mozambique in 2017, coordinating counter wildlife trafficking work based in Maputo.
What were your priorities at the CITES COP19?
I was particularly looking at guaranteeing additional critical and much required defense steps for a number of wild animals that are threatened by prohibited and/or unsustainable global trade, such as sharks, turtles, elephants, jaguars, and songbirds., or to transfer a types in between appendices.
Overall, the CITES COP19 was a big success for wildlife and Im truly pleased with the results, which consists of enhanced conservation steps for requiem sharks and hammerheads, freshwater turtles, songbirds, glass frogs, and lots of other wildlife types.
Matamata turtle. Image: Julie Larsen Maher/WCS
What role does the European Union play in combating wildlife trafficking?
As a large global market and transit hub for both prohibited and legal wildlife and wildlife items, the EU plays a key function in combating wildlife trafficking as well as unsustainable wildlife trade. The EU, together with its 27 member states, votes as a bloc (i.e. 27 votes) on species-related matters at CITES meetings and therefore usually is critical in the adoption of species listing proposals and other decisions. The EUs management on the international stage is hence vital, in particular at CITES meetings, where member governments decide defense steps for numerous threatened and potentially threatened wildlife species. I was especially pleased when the EU issued a new, ambitious action plan versus wildlife trafficking right before the CITES conference, which will assist new EU actions against this criminal activity up until 2027.
African elephants. Image: Arnaud Goessens/WCS
Shirley Binder
Shirley (@BinderShirley) finished from MPA-ESP in 2019, and is now the ministerial senior workplace advisor in Panamas Ministry of Environment.
Tell us more about your existing function in the Ministry of Environment?
As advisor to the minister of environment of Panama, I supervised of the logistics and technical elements for the organization of the CITES COP19, which was hosted by the government of Panama. In addition, Im the international negotiator for Panama at CITES and the Convention on Biological Diversity conferences, and the agent for Panama at other top-level events, such as the U.N. Ocean Conference. Prior to my existing function, I served as nationwide director of safeguarded locations and biodiversity, director of environmental policy, and marine biologist in the Ministry of Environment of Panama. In these functions, I concentrated on increasing Panamas marine protected areas for the preservation and sustainable use of the oceans, and integrating communities in the management of both terrestrial and marine secured locations.
Jaguar. Image: Julie Larsen Maher/WCS
Why is CITES crucial?
CITES is one of the most essential and implementable international conventions regarding species-specific preservation and defense. Its one of those conventions for which choices are concrete, implementable, and celebrations in fact need to abide by the decision made, otherwise they get sanctioned, consisting of through trade restrictions. CITES is not purely about preservation– its function is to manage global wildlife trade by ensuring its legal and sustainable. CITES COPs only take location every three years, so each COP represents a unique and definitive moment for federal governments to settle on security procedures for types threatened by international trade.
What were your priorities at the CITES COP19?
Thanks to this success, more than 90% of the shark fin trade will now be managed under CITES, which ought to considerably minimize unsustainable trade, and motivate effective management of sharks. It is important to keep in mind that an Appendix II listing is not a trade restriction but rather a tool to guarantee that the trade in wildlife is legal and sustainable, and that the types populations can flourish and recuperate.
The blue shark is a species of requiem shark. Thanks to current actions at CITES COP19, trade in these kinds of sharks will be more managed. Photo: Hannes Klostermann/ Ocean Image Bank
Shira Yashphe
Shira graduated from the MPA-ESP program in 2017 and now is wildlife crime lead at the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF).
What is your function at the Cheetah Conservation Fund?
For the last 4 years, I have been leading the Cheetah Conservation Funds (CCFs) wildlife criminal offense and worldwide policy work. Leading both our wildlife crime work and our worldwide policy engagement, I establish and carry out projects to stop the trade as well as represent CCF, along with Dr. Marker, at worldwide conventions such as CITES.
What were your concerns at the CITES COP19?
Representing CCF, my goal was to promote local collaboration to stop the trafficking. It was our hope that we could bring both East African and Arabian Peninsula nations together to declare the need to punish the unlawful trade and stop it prior to its too late. We did not attain that, regrettably, this time, but there was recognition that the cheetah trafficking is undoubtedly a danger to cheetahs which attention ought to be offered to the live unlawful trade in cubs in two instruments recently established under CITES, namely the African Carnivores Initiative and the Big Cats Task Force. We will continue to engage the 2 areas on each side of the Gulf of Aden and hope they will work jointly as quickly as possible.
What are your expectations for the future?
Personally, I am hopeful that the convention can move away from a worrying trend I am seeing– that of concentrating on maximizing trade rather of guaranteeing that it is sustainable and does not hurt types. If in the previous sustainability was at its core, there is a growing number of vernacular around “optimum” use– which goes versus the convention. The convention was developed to secure species from over-use and is not a convention to maximize financial gains at all expenses.
I also wish that the welfare of specific animals will be included in choices and conversations, as presently parties to the Convention are assembling to talk about and choose on the fate and use of (i.e. killing) of living beings without signing up that animals are, just like human beings, sentient animals.
Cheetah. Image: Julie Larsen Maher/WCS
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In my existing position with WCS EU, I work at the science-policy interface associated to biodiversity conservation, wildlife trade, One Health, and pandemic prevention, and lead on engagement with the European Union and the Belgian government on preservation policies, consisting of as related to international online forum such as CITES meetings. As a large international market and transit hub for both legal and illegal wildlife and wildlife items, the EU plays a crucial role in combating wildlife trafficking as well as unsustainable wildlife trade. Points out is not purely about conservation– its role is to manage global wildlife trade by guaranteeing its sustainable and legal. It is essential to keep in mind that an Appendix II listing is not a trade restriction however rather a tool to ensure that the trade in wildlife is sustainable and legal, and that the species populations can recuperate and thrive.
Leading both our wildlife crime work and our global policy engagement, I develop and carry out tasks to stop the trade as well as represent CCF, along with Dr. Marker, at global conventions such as CITES.