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LCQ 5: Protection of endangered species
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     Following is a question by Hon Frederick Fung and a reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Edward Yau, in the Legislative Council today (January 27):

Question:

     It has been reported that in order to attract business, a catering group earlier successfully made a bid at high price in Japan for a bluefin tuna, a fish from a species listed as endangered by conservation bodies, which gave rise to strong criticism from members of the public that the group is encouraging consumption of endangered species.  Some organisations and members of the public initiated protests at the restaurants of the group, and they also called upon people on the Internet not to patronise such restaurants.  In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) given that at present, only regulated species listed by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora ("CITES") will correspondingly be brought under the regulatory control of the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance by the Government, whether the Government has assessed if such an arrangement is too passive;

(b) given that there have been reports that several countries will propose in the CITES Conference of the Parties to be held in March this year to list the aforesaid bluefin tuna as regulated species, and to stop the relevant trading activities, whether the authorities will consider taking a more proactive lead to bring this endangered species under the regulatory control of the legislation in Hong Kong; if they will not, of the reasons for that; and

(c) of the details of the Government's work on publicizing to the catering trades and educating them on protection of endangered species; how the authorities, under the situation of business interests being first, advocate to the corporations that they have important environmental protection and conservation responsibility?

Reply:

President,

     My answers to the three parts of the question are as follows:
  
(a) and (b) The Government is committed to the protection of endangered species and implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) through legislation, law enforcement and public education.  The CITES aims to protect endangered species from over-exploitation or extinction by regulating their international trade.  China is a Party to the CITES, and Hong Kong takes part in the work of CITES through our national government.

     To enforce the provisions of the CITES, the Government strictly regulates the trade of the endangered species listed in the Appendices of the CITES through the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (the Ordinance).  Appendix I includes species which are threatened with extinction and their import and export are prohibited except for certain special purposes such as scientific study or display in museum.  Appendix II lists species which may become extinct unless their trade is under control; and species in Appendix III are those identified by any Party to the CITES as requiring international trade regulation, so as to protect them from over-exploitation.  Licences are required for the import and export of controlled species.

     The Parties to CITES hold regular Conferences of the Parties to discuss and review in detail the species controlled under CITES.  Our established practice is to strictly follow the CITES regulations, and include all the species regulated under CITES into the regulatory control of the Ordinance.  The next CITES Conference of the Parties meeting will be held in Qatar in March this year, and discussion will be held on whether to list Atlantic bluefin tuna as a CITES Appendix I species.  In considering the proposal, the Parties will conduct detailed examination on a number of factors, including the population size of the fish, fisheries management and its conservation status.  Once the proposal is adopted in the Conference, all Parties will have to follow.  Hong Kong will also follow the decision of the Conference of the Parties, and amend the scope of control of the Ordinance accordingly.  

(c) We believe that publicity and educational programmes can effectively raise the awareness of the public and the food trade on endangered species.  In view of this, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) organises a series of educational and publicity activities each year, which include publicity through the media and internet, distribution of leaflets and posters, organisation of exhibitions and seminars, as well as arranging visits to the Endangered Species Resource Centre, to enhance public awareness on the protection of endangered species and the relevant legislation.  In 2009, AFCD organised 36 exhibitions on endangered species, 46 seminars and received over 6 200 visitors to the Endangered Species Resource Centre.  

     Apart from the extensive publicity and educational activities for the public, AFCD's promotional efforts have also been targeted at endangered species traders.  Through various activities such as consultation meetings and trade seminars, information related to endangered species is disseminated.  In November last year, AFCD informed relevant traders and restaurant operators of and consulted them on the proposal of including bluefin tuna under CITES control.  The parties concerned were also informed that the CITES Conference of the Parties will be held in March this year and that the international community has expressed concern over the conservation of bluefin tuna.

Ends/Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Issued at HKT 14:40

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