19 Aug. 2019


Some 183 nations are set to discuss possibly loosening elephant and ivory exports at the World Wildlife Conference on trade in endangered species, known as CITES, which is meeting in Geneva, Switzerland.

Representatives that signed the 1973 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species are set to take part in the conference. It opens Saturday and runs through August 28, with key decisions expected in the final two days.

Conservationists have warned of “unprecedented” species declines due to mankind’s exploitation of the planet’s fauna and flora.

“Business as usual is no longer an option,” CITES Secretary General Ivonne Higuero said at the start of the meeting, warning that “nature’s dangerous decline is unprecedented.”

Read full story here