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At certain times some issues become overwhelming-I believe no single individual can stop an issue whose time has come. At other times however individuals make the difference. Through the years, CITES has had some dominant figures. Switzerland's Peter Dollinger is one example. Serving twice as chair of the Scientific Committee, Peter held to a precise, narrow reading of the treaty, rather than a more expansive interpretation usually favored by me and my colleagues from the United States. On the other hand, at COP8 in Japan in 1992, where I served as the chair of the Management Committee, I found myself in the position of having to rule against the United States on some issues where I felt the United States was pushing the frontiers of the treaty further than most other countries were willing to go. All of this is ultimately a product of the fact that CITES has twin goals: protecting truly endangered species (listed on Appendix I) from trade, and setting up a regime allowing sustainable trade without harming other, vulnerable species (listed on Appendix II). Trade bans-suspensions of trade with particular countries-have been CITES most significant innovation; though the country being targeted obviously doesn't often agree at the time. These trade bans, of course, are not mandatory because every country still makes its own decisions, but the Parties can put strong pressure by adopting a resolution asking other Parties not to allow imports from offending countries. The resolution usually indicated how to correct the situation, and so the movement took hold. Thus, bans focusing on specific countries have been extremely successful. Targeted countries have usually responded with improved CITES implementation, so that the ban can be lifted. People who work on big trade treaties like WTO and GATT may regard CITES as small. Even those working with the Convention on Biodiversity see CITES as narrow, since CITES only deals with a thin slice of all of the issues affecting conservation of species. But I think CITES also has enormous power, because its decisions directly affect species and the people who depend on them. CITES debates are not academic exercises-they have real-world consequences. CITES biggest problem, in my view, is that it is poorly funded relative to other treaties with significant economic interests. The United State's view in 1989, expressed in our own Federal Register Notice when we published President George H. W. Bush's decision to ban the ivory trade, was that CITES permits had become a legal smokescreen for an illegal and extremely harmful trade. The only solution at that moment was a ban. CITES was unsuccessful in regulating ivory trade, but it was successful in banning the trade. That really turned the corner for elephants. The issues are still going on today, since the Appendix I trade ban was only intended to be a temporary measure. As limited one-time sales of ivory stockpiles have resumed in recent years, we are still striving to determine whether there are any adverse effects. Continued on page 14 Quick Guide To CITES CITES stands for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna. °t CITES was negotiated in 1973 and entered into force in 1975. The U.S. was the first to sign. Canada was the tenth. The treaty ensures that international wildlife trade is based on sustainable use and management of wild plants and animals. =z CITES uses appendices to list species according to the level of concern. Appendix I protects species threatened with extinction, surf') as gorillas and sea turtles. Appendix II includes species that may be traded in ways that ensure their trade is legal and not detrlmenLal to their survival. Appendix II species include American ginseng, paddlefish and bigleaf mahogany. a COP stands for a Conference of the Parties, the biennial meetings to review CITES implementation and access status of species in trade. The U.S. hosted the meeting that negotiated the treaty in 1973, as well as the ninth meeting in 1994 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. 1?. In 1975, 10 countries were CITES Parties. In 2003, there were 162. For More Information: <internationaI,fws.gov> <www.cities.org> Deputy Director Marshall Jones