A substantive theory of the relative efficiency of environmental treaty compliance strategies: The case of cites

Baker, Joni E.

doi:10.1080/13880299909353918

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Reviews of the first two decades of CITES indicate that the Convention was not a priority for various Parties, resulting in a lack of available resources and capacity for national authorities in both developed and developing countries (Heppes & McFadden 1987, Burns 1990, ERM 1996. There remains variation between Parties: authorities in some countries are comparatively well-resourced (e.g., the US), but most Parties are developing countries and face high opportunity costs (Baker 1999, Challender & MacMillan 2016, may lack the political will to prioritize CITES (Reeve 2006), and may be affected by corruption and/or political interference (US Department of State 2023). Despite substantial support provided to Parties in recent decades (Reeve 2002, a lack of capacity and of human, financial, and technical resources persist as the main challenges to implementing the treaty effectively (Wellsmith 2011, Dongol & Heinen 2012, Ariffin 2018, CITES 2019c, Wyatt 2021a, Kilonzo et al 2024.…”

Section: Management and Scientific Authorities Have Been Designated H...mentioning

confidence: 99%

A theory of change to improve conservation outcomes through CITES

Challender,

’t Sas-Rolfes,

Broad

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Understanding the effectiveness of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) is critical to addressing international environmental issues. Here we articulate the implied theory of change (ToC) underpinning the design and operation of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), based on an analysis of the Convention's documentation. We use this as a framework to critically evaluate the effectiveness of the Convention, with respect to its stated aims, using a range of theoretical and empirical insights. Although achieving success in various ways, CITES is proving ineffective at preventing the illegal and/or unsustainable exploitation of many listed species for international trade, which we attribute to implementation and compliance issues and the Convention’s design, including a principal focus on deterrence through state-led law enforcement. Informed by this analysis we develop a modified ToC which could support more effective implementation of CITES. This ToC is intended for application at the species level and incorporates an in-depth understanding of the social-ecological systems (SESs) within which species are harvested, used, and traded. This species-system ToC explicitly considers formal and informal institutions, and the use of institutional diagnostics to inform potential revisions to institutional arrangements along supply chains. We argue that taking this approach when considering whether and how to implement trade measures under CITES could enhance the effectiveness of these measures, and therefore support legal, traceable, and more ecologically and socially sustainable international trade in wild species. Finally, we highlight the role that CITES could play in the broader global biodiversity governance regime; better alignment with other relevant MEAs could lead to more effective biodiversity conservation overall.

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Section: Management and Scientific Authorities Have Been Designated H...mentioning

confidence: 99%

A theory of change to improve conservation outcomes through CITES

Challender,

’t Sas-Rolfes,

Broad

et al. 2024

Preprint

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“…19 For instance, Baker associates the low compliance rate with the CITES mandate with the high cost of the strategies that the convention advises: several countries experience "significant difficulty in implementation due to domestic financial limitations". 20 Graham offers a similar opinion based on her analysis of the "gap between international intent and domestic application of CITES". 21 Bowman shows that while CITES references trade and conservation, national authorities prioritize trade to the determent of effective conservation.…”

Section: Background: Socio-legal Analyses Of Cites and The Bern Conventionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contending Philosophical Foundation in International Wildlife Law: A Discourse Analysis of CITES and the Bern Convention

Goyes¹

2021

RCDA

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Most analyses of international wildlife law (IWL) focus on the specifics of implementing particular policies, while there is less engagement with the fundamental philosophies underpinning international conventions. In this article, I argue that a philosophical analysis can achieve a deeper understanding of IWL by helping to identify, assess and compare worldviews reflected in these instruments. Additionally, a philosophical analysis can make visible how international wildlife conventions shape human perceptions of and attitudes towards nature. Based on these premises, I subject two international wildlife conventions that are central to wildlife management in Europe, namely, the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), to philosophical scrutiny. I argue, first, that the philosophical underpinnings of these instruments are in contention, indicating that their policies might well counteract each other. Second, I postulate that the broad significance of this contention is that the resulting ambivalence when IWL instruments are involved in the same conversation and about the same territoriality results in such high discretional powers for states that they stop being bounded by the conventions’ substratum and can limit themselves to only following the formalities.

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Playing theCITESgame: Lessons on global conservation governance from African megafauna

't Sas‐Rolfes,

Challender,

Wainwright

2024

Env Pol Gov

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Growing awareness and concern over environmental issues has been accompanied by a proliferation of international environmental agreements during the last half‐century. Among these, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), stands out as one of the oldest and strongest influences on global biodiversity conservation policy. However, the effectiveness of CITES has been questioned—for various reasons and from various quarters—with a range of differing opinions. To provide further insight on this issue we drew from and built upon recent advances in the environmental governance literature to develop an approach to analysing how the CITES‐centred wildlife trading regime influences actor behaviour. After developing a rule‐categorised framework to analyse the structure of the treaty, we conducted dynamic analysis of actor behaviour using case study material on CITES‐listed African megafauna species (elephants, rhinoceroses, and lions), examining recent developments over a five‐year period (2016–2020). Drawing on this material, we further applied institutional diagnostics to gain insight into the conservation effectiveness of the CITES regime. Our analysis of these case studies suggests that CITES can be gamed by special interest groups and that its institutional design facilitates the evolution of an international prohibition regime. Our research produces novel insights into the operation of this process and raises concerns about consequences for African biodiversity conservation. We conclude with recommendations for wildlife trade policy reform and further research.

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A substantive theory of the relative efficiency of environmental treaty compliance strategies: The case of cites

Cited by 6 publications

References 10 publications

A theory of change to improve conservation outcomes through CITES

A theory of change to improve conservation outcomes through CITES

Contending Philosophical Foundation in International Wildlife Law: A Discourse Analysis of CITES and the Bern Convention

Playing theCITESgame: Lessons on global conservation governance from African megafauna

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