WELCOMING ADDRESS BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE LOCAL

WELCOMING ADDRESS BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE LOCAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE,

DR. CARLOS R. VILLALOBOS SOLE

Your Excellency,

President of the Republic, Rodrigo Carazo,

Vice-Minister of Natural Resources, Mario Lôpez,

Ministers of the Government of Costa Rica,

Ministers of Friend Countries,

Representatives of International Bodies,

Members of the Diplomatic Corps,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It gives me great pleasure to speak to you this morning, to welcome you most

cordially at the official opening of the second, meeting of the Conference of

the Parties to the; Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of

Wild Fauna and Flora.

This event is the

culmination

of an enormous collective effort which began

in late 1977 when. our country was selected: as the site of. this second meeting.

From that moment, many institutions and individuals contributed in one form

or another towards: the organization of, the meeting. I should like to take this

opportunity to. express my appreciation to Dr. Rodolfo Quiros Guardia, former.

Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, for the enthusiasm and. assistance he

gave to the original initiative; to His Excellency the President of the Republic

for his firm support; to His Excellency the Minister of Agriculture and Live-

stock, Dr.. Hernán Fonseca; to Her Excellency the Minister of Cultural Affairs,

Youth and Sports, Dr. Marina Volio; to the Costa Rica Tourist Institute, the

Presidential Cabinet Minister; to the National Insurance Institute, and to the

Costa Rican Oil Refinery.

Ladies and. Gentlemen,

In recent years, we witnessed a significant increase of concern among the

peoples of the world with the rational utilization of renewable natural

resources, and with the conservation of species suffering from the impact of

an expanding society with an ever more sophisticated technology at its disposal.

Even:so, we still have a long way to go, and only through a joint effort will

we be able to reach our fundamental goal. I

this sense, I consider this

second meeting of the Parties as taking on a transcendental role for the future

of the Convention.

Distinguished visitors, let me express, in the name of the Local Organizing

Committee, our most sincere wish that the discussions and agreements resulting

from the two weeks to come will positively contribute to the consolidation of

the aimsof the Convention'and thereby to the philosophy underlying it.

SPEECH BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE STEERING COMMITTEE,

•



DR. PETER GAFNER

Mr.

President,

Mr. Cháirman,

Distinguished

Delegates,

On behalf of the Steering Committee I would like to express my thanks.to

the

Government of Costa Rica for hosting this. second meeting of the Conference

of the Parties. In particular, 2 would .like to thank the members of the

Local Committee here in Costa Rica who have helped to organize the meeting

and the Secretariat for the tremendous amount of work and skill which has gone

into the international organization of this meeting.

As you know., arrangements for a meeting of this sort are very complex and

difficult.. At the time of the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties

in Herne, Switzerland, there were only 32 Parties. One year later, when the

special working session was held in Geneva, the number of Parties had increased

to. 37. Now we have 50 Parties. Indonesia will become the 51st Party during

this meeting. The first meeting of the Conference of the Parties created.a

five-nation Steering Committee to help in the organization of these meetings.

The Committee has worked. with the Secretariat and with the Local Committee in

Costa..Rica on organizational matters, particularly on. the establishment of the

Agenda. The Steering Committee has also been active in representing the

Parties

to tNEP on the question of financing the Secretariat.

The Steering Committee also helped to organize the special working session

held in Geneva in 1977. That

session

dealt with a number of matters of practical

significance for the implementation of the Convention, most of. which would be

acted. upon by you at this meeting.

The question of appropriate financing of the Secretariat was also raised at

the special working session. On behalf of all the Parties, I would like to

thank UNEP for the financial and moral support provided to CITES.

At the present meeting, I believe that some of the most important topics for

the Parties to consider are adequate financing of the Secretariat, a critical

review of the appendices, and the exchange of information and views on the

practical operation of the meeting. I urge the Parties to give objective and

careful consideration to these matters and to the other items on the Working

Programme. 2 am sure that in the spirit of open discussions and willing

cooperation to solve mutual problems in the interest of conservation of wild

animals and plants, this will be a successful meeting.

SPEECH BY THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE UNITED NATIONS

ENVIRONMENT PROGRA^

1E, DR. MOSTAFA K. TOLBA

Mr. Chairman,

Honourable President,

Distinguished Delegates,

May I first, Mr. Chairman, join the participants

in congratulating you on

your designation as Chairman of this important international gathering.

May I also take this occasion to pay tribute to the President, the Government,

the local organizers and the people of Costa Rica for hosting this meeting

arid for having so generously devoted their time to ensuring that the preparations

for it have been so sucessfully undertaken. A special word of thanks arid, deep

gratitude goes to Costa Rica for its continued support arid, interest in the

United Nations Environment Programmé.

Mr. Chairman,

Honourable President,

Distinguished Delegates,

six years have already passed since the United Nations Environment Programme

was established by a General Assembly decision in December 1972 on the

recommendation of the Stockholm. Conference. With the cooperation of Govern-

ments.,

agencies and organs and many national and international nongovern-

mental bodies,

UNEP acts

as a catalyst in implementing specific activities

that illustrate appropriate means of managing the resources of the environment

and promoting the adoption of patterns of development and life styles that

are environmentally sound. Our major goal is to ensure the satisfaction óf

man's requirements for present and. future generations and the availabílitÿ of

bétter quality of life for all without depleting or destroying the natural

résource base upon which our well-being and survival depends. And this múst

be done through rational use of natural resources, and ensuring that we are

not transgressing the limits of the biosphere within which we live. We wóuld

like to feel that when we take stock of the situation in 1982, ten years after

Stockholm, the environment will be in better health, in most if not all its

aspects, that it was when that most significant Conference was held.

In the short history of its existence,

UNEP has tried to draw attention to

several important issues. In doing so it has played not too small a role in

promoting conservation of natural terrestrial and marine ecosystems as an

integral part of our economic and social development. One of our major con-

tributions in this area, resulting from our long-standing cooperation with

IÚCN, is the World Conservation Strategy which is being finalized and will be

ready for launching some time in September of this year.

Mr. Cháirman,

Honourable President,

Distinguished Delegates,

In 1973 the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild

Fauna and Flora was adopted and UNEP, then less than a year old, was given

responsibility for providing the Convention's Secretariat. Concern for the

survival of endangered species has been evident for many decades and was

reflected in a number of

national

actions during the first quarter of this

century. However, increasingly efficient means of transport and communication,

coupled with an ever

increasing

demand, led

recent decades to an increase

in the international trade in wild animals that constituted a real threat to

the survival of many species. Many of the present uses of wild animals and

their products can be considered as quite irrational. It was against this

background that the Convention

International Trade in Endangered Species

was prepared. It was initialled in Washington by 80 nations and signed by

20 nations. It came into force in July 1975. Fifty States are now Parties

to the Convention.

While, this is an important achievement, much remains to be done. Only with

a considerably larger number of Parties can the Convention be implemented and

made effective in. halting the uncontrolled international trade in wild animals

and. plants with all, its adverse effects. I would like to urge all those

States which have, not yet ratified the Convention and deposited their

instrument

to do so as soon as possible.

This Second Conference of the Parties will no doubt provide an excellent

further. opportunity for you to exchange information and views on how to make

the Convention's mechanisms and procedures more fully effective. It also

provides an opportunity to identify and resolve any existing problems that

may be preventing the effective implementation of the Convention by Governments.

This is a tremendous and complex global task which needs your collective

wisdom and serious consideration. It is vital that the exchange of views at

this conference be candid, open and constructive. I am sure your objective

in gathering here is to put the Convention to work.

I am sure you would agree with me that effective international cooperation

in regulating trade in endangered species of wild animals and plants would

diminish threats to those species. However, trade regulation alone is not

enough, since many species are facing the threat of becoming endangered not

only through trade, but also through environmental and habitat degradation

and large scale land development activities. The UNEP/FAO scientific

consultations on Marine Mammals held in Bergen, Norway, in September 1976

identified a larger number of cetaceans, for example, as deemed endangered,

than your present list in Appendix II to the Convention contains. This is but

one example of the issue you have to seriously consider.

Mr. Chairman,

urable President,

Distinguished Delegates,

Article

XII

of the Convention stipulates that a Secretariat shall be provided

by the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, and

that, to the extent and in the manner he considers appropriate, he may be

assisted by suitable intergovernmental or non-governmental, international or

national agencies and bodies technically qualified in protection, conservation

and management of wild fauna and flora.

Fully conscious of the responsibility laid upon him by the Convention, the

Executive Director of UNEP at the time, my predecessor, Mr. Maurice Strong,

concluded, and rightly so in my belief, that the best way to discharge his

responsibility would be through an agreément with the International Union for

the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources whereby

IUCN

would provide

the staff and facilities to undertake the Secretariat function. That decision

was taken in light of the facts that

IUCN

had a long history of expertise in

and constructive concern with the conservation of wild animals and plants, and

had been instrumental in the preparation for the Plenipotentiary Conference.

The fact that UNEP contracted with

IUCN

to carry out the Secretariat functions

by no means reflected an abdication of interest or responsibility. On the

contrary,

UNEP's

Governing Council has designated the preservation of endangered

species as a priority area of

UNE?

activities.

You may be interested, to know that during the past five years of: collaboration

with

IUCN, UNE?

has

committed a total. of approximately

US $ 1,135,000

IUCN'

för

the purpose of the Convention, including the first. and this second. meeting

of the Conference of the Parties, and a special working session of the Conference

of the Parties

heldin

Geneva in October 1977. The contribution made by

UNE?

in providing Secretariat services for the Convention was recognized with

appreciation

in a decision by the Governing Council of UNEP when it met at

its Fifth Session in Nairobi in 1977.

My letter to the Parties dated 1 March 1978 confirmed my intention to enlarge

the already established Secretariat under the terms of a

UNE? project

within

the limits of available financial resources.... The letter also conveyed to

the Parties my proposals for cost-sharing arrangements, including direct

financial support by the Parties for the operation of the Secretariat and the

convening of meetings of the Conference of the Parties. In making these

proposals I was not forgetful of UNEP

s responsibility towards the Convention.

Secretariat. Rather I was being mindful of the basic philosophy underlying

all UNEP

s activities, namely that they are catalytic in nature. Activities

initiated with UNEP

s support are expected to attract additional financial

support if they prove successful, so that within a reasonable time they can

continue without relying on UNEP for financial inputs, or with minimal financial

involvement on

UNEP's part. In this way only can we phase out of what we would

consider successful achievements and thus be able to turn our attention to the

identification of the various other priority spheres where catalytic support

by UNE? is necessary to promote environmental action.

With this basic philosophy in mind, the Governing Council last year called

upon the Second Conference of.the Parties to the Convention to establish an

arrangement for sharing the administrative costs of the Secretariat, and for

gradually reducing the UNEP Fund contributions to such costs, and ending them

at the earliest possible date, and in any event no later than the end of 1983.

The Governing Council, however, invited the Parties to the Convention, 20 of

whom were members

the Governing Council, to submit project proposals to

UNEP from time to time to assist in the effective implementation of the Con-

vention. In the same Decision the Governing Council requested the Executive

Director to provide US $ 700,000 to the Secretariat for the biennium 1978-1979,

and I am pleased to inform you that this has been done. It also directed,

that on the second meeting of the Conference of the Parties, no subsequent

meetings of the Conference of the Parties should be financed by UNE?. This

Decision was communicated to all Parties.

As already stated in my letter to the Parties dated 9 November 1978, I propose

that. from 1980 onwards UNEP

financial contribution to the administrative

costs of the Secretariat for the Convention should be gradually reduced,

ceasing preferably by the end of 1982. I would also like to reiterate the view

I conveyed a year ago to the Parties: that further support for the Convention

should include direct financial contribution by the Parties, starting not

later than the beginning of 1980. I therefore strongly appeal again to all

Contracting Parties to reach agreement, at this meeting, on an appropriate

cost-sharing arrangement for this purpose. This should cover not only the

period. when UNE? will, still provide a contribution but also a future when,

according to the Decision of the Governing Council, UNE? will terminate its

contribution to the cost of the Secretariat of the Convention.

In order to facilitate such an arrangement, a working document was prepared

by the Secretariat for the Convention at the request of the Steering Committee,

and was sent to you. This document described the background, summarized

options for action, and provided an estimate of the required expenditures for

the next biennium. It also contained three possible alternatives for a cost-

sharing

arrangement, followed by an analysis of procedures relating to the

administration of funds. Comments and alternative suggestions received from

the Parties are provided in a supplementary document presented to this meeting.

It is my hope that, based on a serious consideration of the various options

open to the Converence, you will reach an agreement that will lead to a further

strengthening of the Secretariat, in the spirit of the Berne Resolution, and

the Decisions of the UNEP Governing Council for the implementation of the

Convention.

would like to end by expressing my best wishes for a most rewarding conference

and I await your conclusions and recommendations with much interest, since I

am sure they will contribute greatly to your most appreciated global effort to

preserve the diversity of species living on our planet, a pre-requisite for

its

stability.

SPEECH BY THE DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL UNION

FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES,

DR. DAVID A.

MUNRO

Lét

me begin by saying how pleased I am to see this meeting taking place in

Costa Rica. Last week our Union completed important meetings here - meetings

of our Survival Service Commission and the Commission on National Parks and

Protected Areas. The meeting of the Survival Service Commission was, indeed,

relevant to the present meeting since the Survival Service Commission is the

arm of

IUCN

that is primarily concerned with defining the status of species.

Judging from the most hospitable and efficient way in which our Costa Rican

colleagues helped in the organization of those meetings, I am already sure

that the present conference will be equally successful.

Costa Rica has a splendid record in conservation, including the establishment

of a number of excellent national parks. The President of Costa Rica is

providing inspiring leadership in this and many other fields as he expounds

exciting concepts such as that of a World University for Peace.

IUCN

has a

number of links with Costa

Rica; one. government agency and three non-govern-

mental

organizations

in Costa. Rica are members of

IUCN;

the Chairman of our

Executive Bureau, Maurice Strong, has many contacts and interests in Costa.

Rica; and our former Director General, Gerardo Budowski, is now the Director

of CATIE,

Centro Agronómico

Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza at Turrialba.

Costa Rica is among the group of the States which first ratified the Washington

Convention - in 1975 - the year it entered into force.

When I trace the involvement of

IUCN

in this Convention,

I have to go back

even further in history. It was a resolution adopted at the 8th General

Assembly of our Union, in Nairobi in 1963, which called for the preparation

of a convention on the export, import and transit of endangered species, and

which initiated its drafting, in which

IUCN

participated continuously until

the adoption of the Convention ten years later.

As the Executive Director of UNEP, my friend and colleague Dr. Mostafa Tolba

has mentioned, the actual administration of the Convention Secretariat has

since 1974 been carried out by

IUCN,

under a joint project arrangement with

UNEP which I believe has produced good results. Because of the prior and

ongoing work of our Union in the conservation of endangered species, and as a

result of the active participation of the international expert groups colla-

borating through the

IUCN

Survival Service Commission, this was probably the

most rational way of using the limited resources available for a task which

is worldwide in scope and continuing in nature It is our hope that the

present meeting, which will have to make crucial and far-

reaching decisions

on future support for this task, will ensure the stability and continuity of

Secretariat services required.

IUCN

holds no

brief for any particular

mechanism for providing continuing support for the CITES Secretariat. It does

have and wishes to convey to this meeting, the strong conviction that there

should be no lapse in such support, whatever modalities for support may be

agreed by all concerned.

The small IUCN unit provided by UN!?, which currently serves as the Secretariat

for the Convention, and which organized the present meeting, is no more than

a "core" - it provides the absolute minimum of services required to operate

the Convention at its present level. Yet, at the same time, support for the

Convention itself is growing rapidly: its membership has almost doubled since

the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties, and continues to increase

at an unusually high rate. So, therefore, does the workload of the Secretariat.

This means that even as we base our calculations on current figures, and

knowing that the CITES unit is already understaffed, we are inevitably headed

for a severe workload squeeze in the immediate future. I consider it my duty

to warn you of this. iinent and serious problem - which may be said to be

the very price of success, a direct consequence of the impressive growth rate

of this Convention.

I should also say, and I realize that you will be devoting most of your time

to this sort of issue, that the status of a number of species of plants and

animals, some already the subject of this Convention, others not, is deterio-

rating at a perilous rate. Thus, in spite of the advances that have been

made, this is no time for complacency. The fate of species demands serious

and continuing attention.

The first three and a half years of experience with the Convention have been

challenging indeed. The structure of

IUCN

its unique blend of Government

representatives, conservation experts and "environmentalists" - has offered

a number of advantages, and to some extent a. model, for the implementation of

this sort of Convention. For it is through a combination of three levels of

organizational action that the day-to-day work of the Secretariat is now being

carried out; these are:



- direct cooperation between a worldwide network of national Management

Authorities, inter-connecting those who administer the Convention at the

governmental level;

a "pool" of advice from national Scientific Authorities, ensuring that

decisions are made on the basis of the best available knowledge; and

- active participation by concerned citizens, including through IUCN, who

contribute to the proper enforcement of the Convention by monitoring

actual compliance and by voicing public interests in the conservation of

our natural heritage.

There is, however, another dimension to conservation, which it seems worth

emphasizing in conclusion. The bulk of international trade in endangered

species is a factor in the "North-South" view of present day world politics.

The dominant pattern in trade in endangered species is a steady flow of

finite natural resources from the developing, "southern" part to the

industrialized, "northern" part of the world. The draftsmen of this Convention

were, of course, not only aware of this dimension, they

were

responding to

what they saw as the adverse effects of it from the viewpoint of conserving

génetic resources. Thus they established a carefully balanced system of trade

cóntrols between exporting and importing countries. But there is obviously

more to it than export/import mechanics. The decline in stocks of certain

heavily-traded species continues, in some cases at a really alarming rate.

At the same time, for certain countries and social groups the utilization of

these resources is more closely related to their own economic survival today

than to the distant goals of nature preservation in the future. 2n these

circumstances, no trade controls will ever be effective unless we can find

alternative ways of survival for those people most directly affected, and

unless we can thus persuade them that conservation is

not

a "zero-sum" game

which is bound to leave some partners worse off, but rather a common cause

with the assurance of common and enduring benefits for all. What is perhaps

a primary aim of this Convention is to ensure that the immense benefits of

trade in the products of wild species can be made to endure and thus provide

a solid base for the only kind of development that is really worthwhile -

sústainable development.

SPEECH BY THE VICE-MINISTER FOR NATURAL RESOURCES OF COSTA RICA,

ING'.

MARIO LOPEZ LORIA

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It gives me great pleasure to represent the Minister for Agriculture and

Livestock, Dr. Hern^

Fonseca. Zamora, on the occasion of the inauguration of

the second meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered

Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Dr. Hernán Fonseca Zamora is on an official

visit abroad and asks you to accept his apologies for not being able to be

present. He would like to wish you the greatest success in the meeting you

are inaugurating today.

Because of its natural wealth, since time immemorial Costa Rica has been

singled out as one of the most beautiful and favoured of the countries on

this earth. Studies and-papers, both general. and specific, have recommended

that we take great care to ensure that our territory be administered with

consideration and devotion so that its wealth lasts indefinitely. Reflecting

this attitude, Costa Ricans have tried, to avoid, squandering these resources,

which does not benefit anyone, and have enacted a varied body of legislation

which guarantees that renewable natural resources are. put to productive ends..

Unfortunately, good advice is not always accepted when there are no shortages

and, some destruction of resources has taken place.

Legislation and sanctions for infringements alone cannot always ensure that

wise attitudes are translated into lasting action. The issue is more complex,

and there is always a need for human, technical and economic resources to

study and

assess

.the best options for the rational use of renewable natural

resources.

Costa Rica does, in fact, possess a wide variety of natural systems, ranging

from dray, tropical forests to wet moorlands found within short distances of

one another between the seashore and the high mountains. Herein lies the

great natural beauty of Costa Rica.

Man, as just one component of these natural resources, must achieve the goal

of peaceful co-existence in harmonious equilibrium with all that surrounds

him. The goods and services, both direct and indirect offered by these

natural resources should be 'used to maintain a desirable quality of life for

all.

Through the republican process, Costa Rican Governments have publicised and

supported measures designed to ensure the rational use of natural resources.

The Law on Forests, No. 4465, issued on 25 November 1969, inter alia defines

Forest Policy

and

Administration, creates the Forest Heritage of the State

d authorized the establishment of protection zones, biological reserves,

national parks and forest reserves, through Executive Decrees - to cite

provisions relevant to this legislation. This law consolidates the reserves

set up under earlier laws and allows the establishment of new reserves.

Without counting areas which are currently under study, 640,000 hectares are

covered by this law: of these, 470,000 hectares are forest reserves and pro-

tected zones and 170,000 hectares are national parks and equivalent reserves.

This means that this law sets aside more than 12% of the territory of Costa

Rica as a pledge towards the protection of the environment and the conser-

vation of natural renewable resources.

The President of the Republic,

Lic.

Rodrigo Carazo Odic has expressed the

view both orally and in writing that his Government will support all private

and public measures designed to ensure that the specified areas and those

which are soon to be established help Costa Ricans to live a healthy life.

He has also said that his Government will give priority to programmes .

designed to improve these areas. In this

way,

the present Government fulfils

its programme which is in keeping with the social Christian doctrine; it

promotes the continuous and perpetual use of natural resources for the benefit

all the people of Costa Rica.

Costa. Rica's complex of fauna and flora, the soil which sustains them and

the water which enables them to live, constitute our most important source

of wealth, since we depend on these for the production of food, important raw

máterials and other goods which if exploited rationally and scientifically

can be obtained indefinitely. If encouraged and well managed, agriculture,

forestry, cattle raising, fishing and the protection of scenic beauty bring

general. prosperity and well-being to our people. This is the goal of our

Ministry for Agriculture and Livestock and is the reason why it gives us

particular pleasure that this meeting is being held in our country. The

ientific exchange will undoubtedly give rise to large quantities of

iñformation which can be used to improve the mechanisms of international trade

in endangered species of wild fauna, and flora. As we all share the same

attitude, we will be able to adopt sound and successful measures which will

contribute towards a rational use of the multi-faceted complex of Renewable

Natural Resources and thus allow us to pass on to our children in the. very

near future, a Costa Rica which is conscious of the intrinsic value of its

riches..