On October 16, 2002, the completion of the project aimed at the implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES), which has lasted for two years, will be marked with a seminar held in Tallinn. According to Ms. Helle Liht, Project Coordinator, the aim of the project was to assist with the implementation of the CITES in Estonia through organizing campaigns for promoting public awareness, developing the strategy and methods for marking and registration of species subject to CITES, and making recommendations for improvement of legislation in relevant areas. In the framework of the project, training of officials of the Customs, the Environmental Inspectorate, the border service of the Food and Veterinary Department, police, as well as customs and borderguard officers of the Narva, Luhamaa, Valga and Ikla border stations was organized. According to Ms. Kadri Alasi, Specialist of the Nature Protection Department of the Ministry of the Environment, the frequency of discovering attempts to export endangered species is continuously increasing thanks to the fact that customs officers have undergone training organized as part of the project. “Just some time ago, the customs officers would not have had the idea of checking and removing the bags and shoes made of crocodile and python skin - to date, this has already happened a number of times,” said Ms. Alasi. In Estonia, the nests of raptors are threatened. All orchides found in Estonia also belong to the list of species endangered by trade. The CITES convention was signed in 1973 with the aim to avoid the extinction of endangered animals and plants in nature. After Estonia regained its independence a decade ago, it soon became used as a trnsit country for smuggling endangered species from the territory of the former Soviet Union to Central and Western Europe. For terminating this process, Estonia acceeded to CITES in 1992. To date, most countries of the world (over 140) have become parties to this convention. After the destroyal of their habitats, trade with the specimens of animal and plant species taken from the wild is the second most important threat to their survival. Representatives of the Customs, the Environmental Inspectorate, the border service of the Food and Veterinary Department, police, and the Ministry of the Environment will take part in the seminar.
For additional information please contact: Ms. Kadri Alasi |
