‘Wildlife Protection and Management (Amendment) Bill 2016 a reaction to the warning’

 

THE drive to have the existing Wildlife Protection and Management Act amended was because Solomon Islands was issued a warning by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) for not being in compliance with the Convention.

The warning was issued in November last year.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management, Conservation and Meteorology Dr Melchior Mataki disclosed this to the Bills and Legislation Committee (BLC) on the first day of hearings into the Wildlife Protection and Management (Amendment) Bill 2016 on Wednesday this week.

“We were told we had to amend our legislation and we were actually communicated this several years back,” said PS Dr Melchior.

CITES is an international agreement between governments.

Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.

Inquiries into the particular Bill with witnesses are expected to wrap up today.

The Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management, Conservation and Meteorology is the sponsoring ministry of the Bill.

The existing legislation seeks to amend the Wildlife Protection and Management Act 1998 to comply with obligations imposed under the convention on international trade in endangered species of wild flora and fauna and for related matters.

According to PS Dr Melchior, the existing legislation does not fully meet the requirements of the Convention (CITES).

Essentially the object of the amendment is to see the full implementation of the CITES to ensure we are able to trade.

The PS told the BLC that without that it becomes very difficult for Solomon Islands to participate in international trade on flora and fauna.

Dr Melchior further clarified to the BLC that the existing legislation does not differentiate between CITES species and non-CITES species which he added, is problematic in meeting requirements of the requirements with it comes to international trade.

This he further clarified to the BLC is what is being attempted to be addressed in the amendment

The BLC was informed that specific measures addressed in terms of authorities to be established to oversee the trade of species and penalties that are to be applied for illegal trade in CITES species are also non-existent in the existing legislation.

The PS Dr Melchior then added that the reason was most probably because the Act was enacted well before Solomon Islands became part of the Convention (CITES) in 2007.

Inquiries into the Wildlife Protection and Management (Amendment) Bill 2016 will be winded up today with the sponsoring ministry; the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management, Conservation and Meteorology.