In response to the decision by the CITES committee to recommend transfer of all eight pangolin species to Appendix I, giving them full protection against international trade, WWF issued the following statement from Ginette Hemley, WWF head of delegation to CITES CoP17:
“This is a huge win and rare piece of good news for some of the world’s most trafficked and endangered animals.
“Giving pangolins full protection under CITES will eliminate any question about legality of trade, making it harder for criminals to traffic them and increasing the consequences for those who do.
“But this fight doesn’t end here. The parties must move swiftly to enforce the decision. Illegal trade will continue to threaten pangolins as long as demand for their meat and scales persists. We need to strengthen anti-poaching and anti-trafficking efforts, and continue to reduce demand for illegal wildlife products in countries like China and Vietnam.
“Today is a major step forward for conservation. But only if countries act on the resolve they’ve shown today will pangolins be given the chance to survive and lose their tag as the world’s most trafficked mammal.”
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