In the News
Shark Proposals Adopted in Full at Conclusion of Conference in Panama
“This will be remembered as the day we turned the tide to prevent the extinction of the world’s sharks and rays. The trade in high value shark fins that has threatened to wipe out these ancient animals has now been brought fully under CITES international oversight," said WCS's Luke Warwick.
Parties Vote to Protect Two Asian Songbirds
The straw-headed bulbul and white-rumped shama, prized for their singing ability, have plummeted in the wild from unsustainable trade. “The decision to increase protection under CITES will help to ensure that these songbirds will not go silent,” says WCS's Elizabeth Bennett.
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Going for a Song?
A unique and wonderful feature of so many birds — their songs — is making them the targets of a growing trade in live caged birds, writes WCS's Elizabeth Bennett.
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Almost all species in global shark fin trade to be protected
A “landmark in not only the number of species it covers, but in the amount of the trade that is going to be regulated,” WCS's Susan Lieberman tells The Washington Post.
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Landmark Vote for Sharks
"The proposals adopted today for the requiem and hammerhead sharks, championed by the government of Panama, will forever change how the world's ocean predators are managed and protected," WCS's Luke Warwick tells the BBC.
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CITES Should Have a Role to Help Prevent Future Zoonotic Pandemics
We owe it to the now 8 billion people on our planet, said WCS's Susan Lieberman, particularly the most vulnerable, to do everything we can to prevent future epidemics and pandemics of zoonotic origin.
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WCS Welcomes the Revised EU Action Plan Against Wildlife Trafficking
This revised Action Plan demonstrates that the EU takes wildlife trafficking seriously by continuing its ambitious agenda to tackle this criminal activity, which threatens species populations, undermines local security and governance, and weakens rural livelihoods.
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CITES is Best Hope for Dozens of Turtle Species
Turtles are uniquely vulnerable to trade—either from pet dealers or private collectors of rare species. "We urge all countries to support these proposals before turtles crawl into extinction,” says WCS's Susan Lieberman.
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Investigations of Online Trade in Jaguar Parts Show Threat is Widespread
WCS researchers announced the results of an international investigation finding that online trade of jaguar parts are openly detectable on multiple online platforms, representing an emerging and serious threat to jaguar populations across the range of this Latin American wildlife icon.
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Panama Calls For Major New Protection Of Sharks At CITES CoP19
Panama's CITES CoP19 proposal, writes Forbes, for major new shark protections "could be the step that helps prevent trade from driving their extinction,” says WCS's Luke Warwick.
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Hippos, sharks up for protection at UN wildlife conference
We need to strengthen CITES, WCS's Susan Lieberman tells the AP, and maybe even cover more species. "We also need to ensure, whether through multilateral donors, foundations, that there’s more resources going to help countries who are challenged implementing it.”
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WCS Wild Audio
In Panama, Attention Turns to the International Wildlife Trade
WCS’s Sue Lieberman leads WCS’s delegation to CITES CoP19. She recently spoke to WCS Wild Audio’s Nat Moss to share her thoughts on what’s to come.
A Push to Expand Global Protection for Sharks and Rays
WCS Executive Director for Shark and Ray Conservation Luke Warwick discusses anticipated action for sharks and rays at CITES, including a proposal to list the entire family of Requiem Sharks for protection.
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