In a message to commemorate the World Ranger Day 2017, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Secretary-General, John E. Scanlon, observed that challenges and risks that rangers face have increased significantly in recent years due to the surge in the poaching of and illicit trafficking in wildlife. He laments that, in the past 12 months, a further 105 rangers died in the line of duty, He enjoins the entire human race to stand with the park rangers of the world in their fight to protect wildlife

World Ranger Day honours park rangers across the world who have been injured or lost their lives in the line of duty, and also celebrates the role rangers play in protecting our natural resources, including wild animals and plants.

The challenges and risks that rangers face have increased significantly in recent years due to the surge in the poaching of and illicit trafficking in wildlife, particularly of some of the world’s most iconic animal species, such as elephants and rhinos and plants, such as rosewood. Illegal trade in wild animals and plants is occurring at a scale that threatens wildlife, people and their livelihoods and it is being driven by transnational organised crime groups, rebel militia groups and, on rare occasions, rogue elements of regular military forces.

Honest and hardworking park rangers devote their lives to protecting our natural resources and cultural heritage and, in some areas, these brave men and women regularly encounter well-resourced groups of poachers, equipped with high caliber weapons, who do not hesitate to use violence or threats of violence against them. Yet these devoted rangers determinedly perform their duties, often without the recompense allocated to their counterparts in other enforcement agencies.

The dedication and commitment shown by these honest hard working park rangers on a daily basis is worthy of much greater public recognition and the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) therefore warmly welcomes World Ranger Day.

Sadly, in the past 12 months we have lost a further 105 rangers in the line of duty that were reported to the International Ranger Federation as shown in the 2017 Ranger Roll of Honour.  Today, the CITES Secretariat joins the rest of the world in saluting those honest and hardworking park rangers who are serving in the front-lines, in recognition of their dedicated work to protect our natural resources and cultural heritage for current and future generations.

On this special day, we also carry in our thoughts the park rangers who have paid the ultimate price in the execution of their duties, as well as the families and friends they have left behind.

The best way to pay our tribute to these brave men and women is to give our concrete support to the frontline fighters and their families. The world’s governments and communities from across every nation are determined to win this fight against poaching and wildlife trafficking, and while we continue to face many challenges, we are also seeing examples of great progress being made.

The 183 Parties to CITES along with hundreds of interested international and national organisations, gathered in Johannesburg, South Africa in September 2016 at the World Wildlife Conference, or CITES CoP17, where they debated and decided upon a bold range of measures to enhance our collective efforts to tackle illicit trafficking in wildlife. The International Consortium on Combatting Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) has also stepped up its frontline enforcement support as has CITES MIKE.

This occasion offers the CITES Secretariat an opportunity to again draw attention to the work being done under the CITES Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) programme. MIKE was developed by CITES to strengthen individual and institutional capacity in elephant range States in Africa and Asia to manage and protect their elephant populations. Working with well over 1,700 park rangers and data-management officers in Africa, MIKE has hosted close to 100 training programmes since 2008.  This work is being further expanded under the Minimising the Illegal Killing of Elephants and Other Endangered Species (MIKES) programme to provide practical and real time support to rangers who are serving in the field in eight selected focal sites.

In March, we announced that CITES MIKES will provide support to the five protected areas in the three countries that make up the W-Arly-Pendjari Protected Area Complex (WAP), namely Benin, Niger and Burkina Faso. Activities will focus on: strengthening patrol staff capacity and performance throughout the area; improving law enforcement management, including communications within and between the protected areas; increasing the contribution of intelligence to wildlife law enforcement; and enhancing community and interagency collaboration and support for wildlife law enforcement operations. This targeted intervention, which is expected to last into 2019, is generously funded by the European Union.

The MIKE Programme has also developed a site-level Law Enforcement Capacity Assessment designed to assess the effort and resources employed by participating range States in the detection and prevention of illegal killing of elephants, with 43 responses recorded so far, helping to pinpoint where further capacity support is needed.

Close to 500 scientific experts, specialists and other observers, ranging from fisheries agencies and bird breeders to botanical gardens and musical instrument industries, gathered recently in Geneva, Switzerland for the meetings of the CITES Animals and Plants Committees.

The Committees recommended specific actions on a wide variety of issues, including on: trade quotas for trade in the queen conch; the development of scientific non detriment findings (NDF) for sharks and rays; Rosewood timber species identification and trade challenges, especially regarding the international movement of musical instruments and items containing CITES-listed wood; a range of African tree species, including African cherry and East-African sandalwood; and on wild orchid management.

The Committees also began the implementation of two scientific review processes, proposing for further consideration of 25 species of animals and plants for the revised significant trade review process and 16 animal species for the new review of trade in specimens reported as produced in captivity or ranched.

“With the two compliance processes on Review of Significant trade and Captive Breeding, the Animals Committee can now, based on sound science, better ensure that trade in animal species is not detrimental to their survival,” noted Mr. Mathias Lörtscher, the newly-elected Chair of the Animals Committee.

Some of the other topics covered by the Animals and Plants Committees include: reviewing the progress towards the conservation and sustainable use of banggai cardinalfish, an ornamental fish endemic to Indonesia; agreement on global and regional efforts to study the population and trade status of the various eel populations; considering the possible implications of the Convention’s treatment of specimens produced from synthetic cultured DNA; addressing challenges on the identification of timber species; the collaborative CITES-CMS African Carnivores Initiative for animals, and recommendations on the consistent implementation of CITES measures on rosewood.

The Animals and Plants Committees also held a joint session to address matters of common interest, with the Opening Session attended by the Mr. Lörtcher and Ms. Adrianne Sinclair, newly elected Chair of the Plants Committee, as well as John E. Scanlon, CITES Secretary-General.

“The enthusiasm and interest in CITES reflected at CoP17 has carried over to our Animals and Plants Committees. Over the past two weeks, CITES scientific committees have advanced the revised review of significant trade in wildlife, launched a new process for reviewing trade in specimens reported as being produced in captivity or ranched, made important recommendations to the Standing Committee on how to interpret CITES new rosewood listings, and much more,” said John E. Scanlon, CITES Secretary General.

Ms. Sinclair said, “the range of species covered and the open, collaborative discussions that took place at this meeting indicate the importance of the work being done, as well as the dedication of experts in bringing tangible results to our shared understanding of conservation and sustainable use to the trade of wild species.”

During the course of the Opening Ceremony for the joint session, the Secretary-General of CITES awarded the CITES Secretary-General’s Certificate of Merit to the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA), which is the CITES Management Authority of Singapore, for its role in recognition of the great perseverance it demonstrated in securing successful convictions for illegal timber trade of CITES-listed rosewood (Dalbergia spp.) logs in 2014.

“CITES Committees do extraordinary and critical work, with members serving in an individual capacity. We thank the Committee members, our two new Committee Chairs, and all observers for giving CITES the benefit of their time and expertise. This work brings sound science to CITES decisions makers, in support of well informed decisions, noting the supreme decision making role of the Parties through the Conference of the Parties and Standing Committee,” added Scanlon.

The next meetings of the Animals and Plants Committees will also be held in Geneva, in July 2018, with the CITES Standing Committee to meet in Geneva in late November, 2017.