Global News - February 2008

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High-level conference to examine wild falcon trade

Thu 28 February 2008 13:10 UK — Africa,Birds

Trading in wild falcons between Middle-Eastern nations is set to be closely monitored by the United Nations (UN) prior to a major international conference which will be held in the region.

In 2010, the UN's Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) will hold a two-week event in Qatar, and officials confirmed that, prior to then, they would pay particular attention to the issue of the region's wild falcon trade.

CITES figures have revealed that as many as 8,000 saker falcons are trapped annually in countries such as China and Pakistan to be brought into the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia the biggest recipient of the birds.

The organisation's secretary-general, Willem Wijnstekers, told the Gulf Times that it would be doing all it could to ensure that any trade in the falcons did not affect their population.

He explained that CITES' role was to "ensure that these endangered species are sustained and prevented from extinction and to also make sure there is adequate protection for those not endangered".

At least five per cent of the falcons imported into the region die in transit, The Peninsula reported, with CITES warning that the bird's population has declined in the past due to the number being traded.

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