SUMMARY OF WWF POSITIONS ON PRIORTY AGENDA ITEMS FOR CITES COP17

WWF advocates for science-based decision-making at CITES CoP17, emphasizing the need for increased resources for the Secretariat and a primary focus on National Ivory Action Plans to combat illegal trade. The organization supports Appendix I listings for all pangolin species and various Appendix II listings for sharks, rays, and rosewoods, while opposing proposals to allow legal trade in rhino horn or ivory. WWF also supports measures to combat wildlife cybercrime, corruption, and the laundering of captive-bred specimens.

• WWF argues that the National Ivory Action Plan (NIAP) process should be the primary focus of CITES efforts to address countries whose inadequate implementation of rules contributes to illegal ivory trade, though the process is currently "at risk of stalling" due to the oversight burden.
• Regarding the African elephant, WWF opposes proposals to allow legal trade in ivory, arguing that such trade would enable markets with "insufficient controls to prevent laundering of illegal ivory" and would divert attention from the NIAP process.
• WWF supports the transfer of all Asian pangolin species to Appendix I, stating that the previous "zero quota arrangement has failed to stem illegal trade," and supports Appendix I listings for all four African pangolin species based on a precautionary reading of data.
• WWF opposes the proposal by Swaziland to permit regulated trade in white rhino horn, asserting that legal trade risks "exacerbating the current poaching crisis" because consumer countries cannot manage the trade without allowing illegal horn into the market.
• The organization supports several Appendix II listings to address unsustainable trade, including the genus Dalbergia (rosewood), Bubinga, and Kosso, noting that the latter has become the "most heavily traded hong mu species" with negative impacts on West African dry forests.
• WWF supports the inclusion of Silky sharks, Thresher sharks, and Mobula rays in Appendix II, citing that unmanaged fisheries and trade in fins and gill plates have driven "serious declines in the populations of these vulnerable species."
• WWF calls for increased resources for the CITES Secretariat and Committees, noting a "widening gap" between the organization's ambitions and the available financial and staff resources.
• WWF supports new measures to combat wildlife crime, specifically advocating for the integration of corruption and money laundering tracking into CITES processes and the creation of mechanisms to address wildlife cybercrime.

APA

WWF International (2016). SUMMARY OF WWF POSITIONS ON PRIORTY AGENDA ITEMS FOR CITES COP17. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/460/1ey4x8wku8_wwf_cites_positions__final_.pdf

Chicago

WWF International. SUMMARY OF WWF POSITIONS ON PRIORTY AGENDA ITEMS FOR CITES COP17. 2016. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/460/1ey4x8wku8_wwf_cites_positions__final_.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=SUMMARY OF WWF POSITIONS ON PRIORTY AGENDA ITEMS FOR CITES COP17 |date=2016 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/460/1ey4x8wku8_wwf_cites_positions__final_.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternational2016summary, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{SUMMARY OF WWF POSITIONS ON PRIORTY AGENDA ITEMS FOR CITES COP17}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2016}, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/460/1ey4x8wku8_wwf_cites_positions__final_.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }