Activities > Law Enforcement & Political Will
Regional Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES) Training in Central America
2007
An ongoing series of workshops were organized and implemented by Humane Society International (HSI) in conjunction with the national Management and Scientific CITES Authorities in each country party to the U.S. – Dominican Republic Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA – DR). The goal of these workshops was to improve the implementation of CITES and the coordination of actors involved in CITES implementation across the borders.
An enforcement officer holds a model iguana at the Tri-National CITES workshop in El Salvador
Five bi-national / tri-national workshops have been implemented in 2007, training a total of over 100 people. Workshops were implemented in Somoto, Nicaragua (Nicaragua - Honduras), San Pedro Sula, Honduras (Honduras - Guatemala), Santa Ana, El Salvador (Guatemala - Honduras - El Salvador), San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua (Nicaragua-Costa Rica) and La Union, El Salvador (El Salvador - Honduras - Nicaragua). Workshops were rated successfully and participants overwhelmingly rated the course as having improved their knowledge of CITES, and that the course would help them in their daily work.
Teams tackle issues during the Tri-National CITES workshop in El Salvador
Participants included representatives from various implementation agencies including government agencies, national or environmental police and customs. Representatives from local NGOs also participated. The first day of each workshop included presentations and exercises on CITES and its components including definitions, regulations, appendices, and the control of the trade in CITES species. The second day of the workshops covered the role of local rescue centers in receiving and rehabilitating CITES species, the importance of conservation and its links to CITES, identification of commonly trafficked CITES species, and an introduction to correct procedures for handling confiscated wildlife. Participants also participated in an integrative case study exercise at the end of the second day.
2007
An ongoing series of workshops were organized and implemented by Humane Society International (HSI) in conjunction with the national Management and Scientific CITES Authorities in each country party to the U.S. – Dominican Republic Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA – DR). The goal of these workshops was to improve the implementation of CITES and the coordination of actors involved in CITES implementation across the borders.
An enforcement officer holds a model iguana at the Tri-National CITES workshop in El Salvador
Five bi-national / tri-national workshops have been implemented in 2007, training a total of over 100 people. Workshops were implemented in Somoto, Nicaragua (Nicaragua - Honduras), San Pedro Sula, Honduras (Honduras - Guatemala), Santa Ana, El Salvador (Guatemala - Honduras - El Salvador), San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua (Nicaragua-Costa Rica) and La Union, El Salvador (El Salvador - Honduras - Nicaragua). Workshops were rated successfully and participants overwhelmingly rated the course as having improved their knowledge of CITES, and that the course would help them in their daily work.
Teams tackle issues during the Tri-National CITES workshop in El Salvador
Participants included representatives from various implementation agencies including government agencies, national or environmental police and customs. Representatives from local NGOs also participated. The first day of each workshop included presentations and exercises on CITES and its components including definitions, regulations, appendices, and the control of the trade in CITES species. The second day of the workshops covered the role of local rescue centers in receiving and rehabilitating CITES species, the importance of conservation and its links to CITES, identification of commonly trafficked CITES species, and an introduction to correct procedures for handling confiscated wildlife. Participants also participated in an integrative case study exercise at the end of the second day.