Brexit and "Endangered Species"

When writing about "Endangered Species" in the Brexit context, people might  well have differing views!

In this article, it is a reference to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species 1973 (CITES) . The aim of the Treaty is to ensure that the international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of the species in the wild.

On 19th September 2019,  DEFRA ( the UK Government Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) issued some updated advice to deal with the application of this Treaty in the transfer of such endangered species between the EU and the UK in the event of a "no-deal" Brexit. In short , a CITES permit may be needed where it would not have been required prior to Brexit.

The scope of the treaty is large and extends , for instance , to musical instruments made from protected wooden materials.

The updated advice designated four additional ports - Belfast Seaport, Dover, Eurotunnel and Holyhead -  over and above the twenty-five ports already designated in the UK to deal with the additional burden of CITES documentation applying in imports and exports of endangered species between the EU and the UK.

The UK International Environment Minister, Zac Goldsmith, is quoted as saying:-

"CITES plays a key role in protecting endangered species and we will continue to champion its aim after we leave the EU."

Environmental issues are a matter of world concern , very arguably of an even more profound nature than Brexit, and it is good to see that, even in these current weeks of high tension around Brexit ,work is continuing on how to deal with the detailed consequences of a "no-deal" Brexit.