The good news is that people are talking.
Unfortunately, that’s it.
The bad news is that the discussion needs to take place at all. BBC’s Matt McGrath explains:
New plans to protect elephants, rhinos and other species will be discussed at a critical meeting that begins in Bangkok on Sunday.
Delegates will review the convention on the international trade in endangered species (CITES).
Around 35,000 animals and plants are at present protected by the treaty.
But with a global “extinction crisis” facing many species, this year’s meeting is being described as the most critical in its history.
Naturally, one of the foremost controversies is the idea of secret ballots versus transparancy. “CITES ought to be a transparent body,” said Mark Jones of Humane Society International, “but secret ballots have become easier to implement at the behest of certain parties who don’t want their vote to be known.” Sounds about right.
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