Wild Sheep Interests Represented At CITES
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November 29, 2022As an officially recognized observer, WSF sent a delegation to the 19th Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Our purpose was to represent our collective interests in conserving and restoring wild sheep and goats and to reinforce sustainable use conservation supported by international hunting.
CITES regulates international trade in over 38,000 species of plants and animals, including their products and derivatives, to ensure their survival in the wild with benefits for the livelihoods of local people and the global environment. The CITES permitting system seeks to ensure that international trade in listed species is sustainable, legal, and traceable and contributes to both the livelihoods of the communities that live closest to them and national economies for a healthy planet and the prosperity of the people in support of UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Hogs are moving deeper into bighorn sheep country and could pose some threats to these iconic animals.
Representing WSF were Kurt Alt, WSF Conservation Director of International Programs (WSF Lead); Jack Atcheson, Jr., Chairman, WSF Conservation Committee – International Programs; Emilio Rangel W., WSF Director and Chairman of WSF’s Mexico Counsel & Initiative; Jessica Fort, Biologist for the Navajo Nation Fish & Wildlife Department, and Madeline Demaske, Esq. – Attorney.
The delegation’s first focus was on the importance of securing a voice for Indigenous People and Rural Conservation Communities, with Emilio Rangel W. and Jessica Fort participating on a six-person panel at a press conference discussing sustainable use and livelihoods.
WSF is active in the IUCN Sustainable Use and Livelihoods (Suli) subcommittee in North America and Central Asia and works closely with Native Tribes in the US, First Nations in Canada, and Community-based Conservation in Asia and Mexico on their wild sheep conservation and management programs.
Another panel participated in by our representatives examined six case studies outlining the successes achieved in restoring desert bighorn sheep in Mexico.
