The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) is the best known and most controversial of international conservation treaties. Since it came into force 25 years ago, debate has raged over its most basic assumptions. CITES treats the international trade in wildlife as the most important threat to the continued existence of wild species. It offers a prescription of trade bans and restrictions for endangered species. However, it is now generally acknowledged that for most species habitat loss is a much more significant threat. Some argue that the CITES remedy actually exacerbates the problem by removing the incentive to conserve wildlife habitat. This collection of essays, the first of its kind, charts the controversies and changes within CITES. It provides case studies of the way CITES has dealt with particular species and notes the growing role of the South in shaping the direction of the treaty. It considers the role of sustainable use, the precautionary principle and unilateralism within CITES. Finally, it examines options for the future of CITES. Implicit within a number of the contributions is the recognition that questions of wildlife conservation cannot be divorced from wider issues of land use, development and social justice. This book provides an essential resource for policy makers, practitioners, academics and students concerned with conservation, development and trade.

The aim of this book is to contribute to culturally inclusive, equitable and effective wildlife conservation and management in the northern regions--and by extension, in other regions where indigenous systems of co-existing with wildlife also struggle to work with positivistic science-based assessments of conservation needs. Given the diverse worldviews, perspectives, and agendas of all those seeking to influence conservation of the iconic polar bear, it is impossible in a single book to provide a comprehensive treatment of the management problems Inuit residents of the Canadian Arctic and their government co-management partners face at the present time. Consequently, what is presented in this volume are the generally under-reported perspectives of Arctic residents that reflect an experiential understanding of events taking place in the region, and of some others whose views also augment assessments being used to develop polar bear conservation initiatives.