Today in Geneva, after an intense debate which lasted more than an hour, giraffes were offered increased protection under CITES, with 83.46% of representatives voting yes to listing giraffes in CITES Appendix II.
This emblematic African species, which plays an important role in the savanna ecosystem and once inhabited much of the African continent, has declined in the past, and continues to decline today. The wild giraffe population has decreased from about 157,000 individuals in 1985 to about 97,500 in 2015.
While it will not stop the trade of the giraffe and its parts and products, an Appendix II listing will improve the conservation of giraffes as it will enable the CITES community to monitor international trade in a way that will ensure that the harvest of this species from the wild will not reduce the wild population to a level at which its survival might be threatened by continued harvesting or other threats.