- Email: [email protected]
Policing international trade in endangered species. The CITES Treaty and Compliance
216
Book reviews
2) There are multiple incoherencies between national rules and standards (which differ from one country to another) and the European political objective of a common market and common ground which guarantees a minimum level of environmental quality to all of the inhabitants of EU countries. From the interrelation of these two points, three scenarios are suggested: a) Solutions worked out at a national level are preferable to a European framework for the organisation of waste management. b) The field of waste should not be treated differently from that of commodities, therefore environmental protection could be provided within a general framework that gives priority to free trade principles. c) Prevention is the keyword in municipal solid waste management and for the dematerialisation process of the economy, involving a profound (re)organisation of economic and commercial activities (i.e. the adequate management of substances and material flows through the economic system). The final chapter (Chapter VII) further explores a notable attempt to identify different development options within each institutional trajectory and analyses the consequences of their various articulations. Significantly, scenarios are considered to highlight the capacity to maintain future options without creating divergences between current and potential trajectories Overall, I find the book admirable in both intention and content. The authors have done a great service to the debate on the organisation of municipal waste management in the EU. This book is both stimulating and informative and I recommend it very highly. Eduardo Barata Faculdade de Economia da Universidade de Coimbra and GEMF, (Grupo de Estudos Moneta´rios e Financeiros), Avenida Dias da Silva, 165, 3004 512 Coimbra, Portugal E-mail address: [email protected] doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2003.07.002
Policing international trade in endangered species. The CITES Treaty and Compliance Rosalind Reeve, Earthscan Publications Ltd. London, 2002, ISBN: 1 85383 8802
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is one of the oldest multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) and arguably the most powerful. First drawn up in 1973 and entering into force in 1976, the Convention provides a specific tool to control and monitor international trade in plant and animal species. Implementation of CITES is a complex process covering a very wide range of species and products derived from them; with activities taking place at national and international levels; and with many different types of organisations involved in the decision making processes. The level of complexity has perhaps inevitably increased over the 30 years since CITES first came into being. Policing international trade in endangered species by Rosalind Reeve sets out to provide a comprehensive analysis of the system that has evolved to implement and enforce CITES, and to achieve compliance with its provisions. Compliance is generally understood in international law to be behavior that conforms with the specific rules set out by the MEA. In the case of CITES, compliance hinges on provisions relating to species listed in three Appendices, which contain in total over 30,000 species. Appendix I includes ‘species threatened with extinction which are or may be affected by trade’. International trade for ‘primarily commercial purposes’ in such species—including rhinos, tigers, marine turtles and a few rare and prized orchids—is, in effect, banned by the Convention. Appendix II includes the majority of listed species including, for example, the entire orchid family, except for the few species in Appendix I, all species of sturgeon and crocodiles. For these species, trade is only allowed with an export license issued by the range state following a determination that the export is nondetrimental to the survival of the species and the trade complies with national law. Appendix III species are listed unilaterally by individual countries that require international cooperation to control the trade. Rosalind Reeve clearly explains the full CITES compliance system setting out the primary rules of the
Book reviews
Convention, the reporting requirements which she considers to be key to the successful implementation of CITES, national legislation requirements and arrangements for enforcement. As the word ‘policing’ in the title of the book implies enforcement is the primary issue of concern for Reeve. She provides a quote from a field researcher in central Africa who comments ‘‘law enforcement is the bedrock of conservation, and until everyone in the international community understands this, the poachers are going to keep coming’’. This is a somewhat controversial remark and one which many working within the CITES arena would disagree with. There is a growing recognition that CITES will only work, particularly in the biodiversity rich lesserdeveloped countries, if it is placed within the broader context of sustainable development and if incentives are provided for wildlife management as well as regulatory processes. Regulation and enforcement need to be balanced with the development of management regimes that take into account rural livelihoods. Enforcement of CITES is expensive and usually dependent on funding from international donors. Reeve recognises the need for far more extensive funding for CITES which in turn is dependent on political will. Realistically Governments have to balance their resourcing of CITES with a wide spectrum of other biodiversity conservation requirements. Preventing poaching is important, but so is preventing the need for poaching in the first place. That said Policing international trade in endangered species succeeds admirably in providing an analysis of CITES compliance. The book is extremely readable and provides a very comprehensive overview of the workings of CITES. The recommendations for improving CITES compliance are worthy of serious consideration. All though not all will agree with the emphases, few will fail to learn from this important book. Sara Oldfield Global Programmes Director, Fauna & Flora International, Great Eastern House, Tenison Road, Cambridge CB1 2TT, UK E-mail address: [email protected] doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2003.07.003
217
Double or Quits? The Global Future of Civil Nuclear Energy Malcolm C. Grimston and Peter Beck, Earthscan Publications Ltd., London, 2002, ISBN 1 85383 913 2 paperback, 237 pp Because of the threat of global warming, nuclear power is once again receiving active scrutiny. In ‘Double or Quits’, an excellent summary of the prospects for the nuclear power business, the reader learns what the potential nuclear investor has to consider. In the past of centralized power markets, ‘‘the high costs of installation could be amortized over long periods of time, there being a captive market for the electrical output. This cost profile sits uneasily in the competitive markets that now prevail in many developed countries.’’ The authors note that investments in new capacity are either competing with existing baseload plant, which have already sunk capital costs and so can operate at lower marginal cost than new entrants, or must compete for peak market, in which case the plant is operating for only a small amount of the time. In either case ‘‘acceptable rates of return in the early years of the plant’s operation might be limited.’’ There are new reactor designs that promise lower construction costs and more reliable operation. However, the question of who is going to prove out these new designs is a chicken and egg riddle. ‘‘When governments saw themselves responsible for ensuring secure supplies of energy—when, in a sense, energy was regarded as a social or industrial service—it was largely accepted that government also had the duty to ensure that the necessary technology was available to carry out this responsibility.’’ Now that energy is seen as something produced by the market, it is the industry itself that ‘‘will be in a better position to determine what R&D is required.’’ But an industry working in a strongly competitive market is unlikely to engage in the long-term, speculative research that may be necessary to establish nuclear power on a firm footing. Until the designs are pioneered, there may be no market for them, and they may not be pioneered unless there is a market for them. Grimston and Beck ask if there is a role for state support - through grants or tax breaks, ‘‘to aid
Book reviews
2) There are multiple incoherencies between national rules and standards (which differ from one country to another) and the European political objective of a common market and common ground which guarantees a minimum level of environmental quality to all of the inhabitants of EU countries. From the interrelation of these two points, three scenarios are suggested: a) Solutions worked out at a national level are preferable to a European framework for the organisation of waste management. b) The field of waste should not be treated differently from that of commodities, therefore environmental protection could be provided within a general framework that gives priority to free trade principles. c) Prevention is the keyword in municipal solid waste management and for the dematerialisation process of the economy, involving a profound (re)organisation of economic and commercial activities (i.e. the adequate management of substances and material flows through the economic system). The final chapter (Chapter VII) further explores a notable attempt to identify different development options within each institutional trajectory and analyses the consequences of their various articulations. Significantly, scenarios are considered to highlight the capacity to maintain future options without creating divergences between current and potential trajectories Overall, I find the book admirable in both intention and content. The authors have done a great service to the debate on the organisation of municipal waste management in the EU. This book is both stimulating and informative and I recommend it very highly. Eduardo Barata Faculdade de Economia da Universidade de Coimbra and GEMF, (Grupo de Estudos Moneta´rios e Financeiros), Avenida Dias da Silva, 165, 3004 512 Coimbra, Portugal E-mail address: [email protected] doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2003.07.002
Policing international trade in endangered species. The CITES Treaty and Compliance Rosalind Reeve, Earthscan Publications Ltd. London, 2002, ISBN: 1 85383 8802
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is one of the oldest multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) and arguably the most powerful. First drawn up in 1973 and entering into force in 1976, the Convention provides a specific tool to control and monitor international trade in plant and animal species. Implementation of CITES is a complex process covering a very wide range of species and products derived from them; with activities taking place at national and international levels; and with many different types of organisations involved in the decision making processes. The level of complexity has perhaps inevitably increased over the 30 years since CITES first came into being. Policing international trade in endangered species by Rosalind Reeve sets out to provide a comprehensive analysis of the system that has evolved to implement and enforce CITES, and to achieve compliance with its provisions. Compliance is generally understood in international law to be behavior that conforms with the specific rules set out by the MEA. In the case of CITES, compliance hinges on provisions relating to species listed in three Appendices, which contain in total over 30,000 species. Appendix I includes ‘species threatened with extinction which are or may be affected by trade’. International trade for ‘primarily commercial purposes’ in such species—including rhinos, tigers, marine turtles and a few rare and prized orchids—is, in effect, banned by the Convention. Appendix II includes the majority of listed species including, for example, the entire orchid family, except for the few species in Appendix I, all species of sturgeon and crocodiles. For these species, trade is only allowed with an export license issued by the range state following a determination that the export is nondetrimental to the survival of the species and the trade complies with national law. Appendix III species are listed unilaterally by individual countries that require international cooperation to control the trade. Rosalind Reeve clearly explains the full CITES compliance system setting out the primary rules of the
Book reviews
Convention, the reporting requirements which she considers to be key to the successful implementation of CITES, national legislation requirements and arrangements for enforcement. As the word ‘policing’ in the title of the book implies enforcement is the primary issue of concern for Reeve. She provides a quote from a field researcher in central Africa who comments ‘‘law enforcement is the bedrock of conservation, and until everyone in the international community understands this, the poachers are going to keep coming’’. This is a somewhat controversial remark and one which many working within the CITES arena would disagree with. There is a growing recognition that CITES will only work, particularly in the biodiversity rich lesserdeveloped countries, if it is placed within the broader context of sustainable development and if incentives are provided for wildlife management as well as regulatory processes. Regulation and enforcement need to be balanced with the development of management regimes that take into account rural livelihoods. Enforcement of CITES is expensive and usually dependent on funding from international donors. Reeve recognises the need for far more extensive funding for CITES which in turn is dependent on political will. Realistically Governments have to balance their resourcing of CITES with a wide spectrum of other biodiversity conservation requirements. Preventing poaching is important, but so is preventing the need for poaching in the first place. That said Policing international trade in endangered species succeeds admirably in providing an analysis of CITES compliance. The book is extremely readable and provides a very comprehensive overview of the workings of CITES. The recommendations for improving CITES compliance are worthy of serious consideration. All though not all will agree with the emphases, few will fail to learn from this important book. Sara Oldfield Global Programmes Director, Fauna & Flora International, Great Eastern House, Tenison Road, Cambridge CB1 2TT, UK E-mail address: [email protected] doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2003.07.003
217
Double or Quits? The Global Future of Civil Nuclear Energy Malcolm C. Grimston and Peter Beck, Earthscan Publications Ltd., London, 2002, ISBN 1 85383 913 2 paperback, 237 pp Because of the threat of global warming, nuclear power is once again receiving active scrutiny. In ‘Double or Quits’, an excellent summary of the prospects for the nuclear power business, the reader learns what the potential nuclear investor has to consider. In the past of centralized power markets, ‘‘the high costs of installation could be amortized over long periods of time, there being a captive market for the electrical output. This cost profile sits uneasily in the competitive markets that now prevail in many developed countries.’’ The authors note that investments in new capacity are either competing with existing baseload plant, which have already sunk capital costs and so can operate at lower marginal cost than new entrants, or must compete for peak market, in which case the plant is operating for only a small amount of the time. In either case ‘‘acceptable rates of return in the early years of the plant’s operation might be limited.’’ There are new reactor designs that promise lower construction costs and more reliable operation. However, the question of who is going to prove out these new designs is a chicken and egg riddle. ‘‘When governments saw themselves responsible for ensuring secure supplies of energy—when, in a sense, energy was regarded as a social or industrial service—it was largely accepted that government also had the duty to ensure that the necessary technology was available to carry out this responsibility.’’ Now that energy is seen as something produced by the market, it is the industry itself that ‘‘will be in a better position to determine what R&D is required.’’ But an industry working in a strongly competitive market is unlikely to engage in the long-term, speculative research that may be necessary to establish nuclear power on a firm footing. Until the designs are pioneered, there may be no market for them, and they may not be pioneered unless there is a market for them. Grimston and Beck ask if there is a role for state support - through grants or tax breaks, ‘‘to aid