Higher Protection to Star Tortoise and Otters | 29 Aug 2019
India’s proposal to upgrade the protection status of Star Tortoise, the Smooth-coated Otter & Small-clawed Otter has been approved in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
- The species are now listed under Appendix I of the CITES & enjoy highest degree of protection.
- Henceforth, complete International ban will be enforced on their trade, as an effort to boost their numbers.
- The upgradation was approved at Conference of Parties (COP18) held at Geneva.
- According to Deputy Director, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, “90% of the trade of Star Tortoise occurs as part of the International pet market.”
- If their exploitation had continued at a similar pace or had expanded, a decline of greater than 30% was predicted by 2025.