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

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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.