Understanding CITES Correctly; The Basics.

Picture Courtesy: CITES.org

CITES is one of the biggest and by far the largest wildlife conservation effort at the international level. This international agreement among Governments of the member parties (of 175 countries) is the result of 1963's draft resolution of  International Union for Conservation of Nature. CITES came into being on 1st July 1973 as the Washington Convention. 

The noble cration of CITES was to establish a striking balance between the Human consumption of wildlife and wildlife  recovery in the nature. As such CITES deals only with the International trade in wildlife flora and fauna only ( not domestic) 

Since CITES is a legally binding International convention/agreement  (and not inernational Law)among the member parties, each parties are expected to adopt  a  national law in the  framework of CITES thereby regulating the import and export  (trade) of wildlife flora and fauna.

To facilitate  the international movement of wildlife species, CITES has not only framed a guideline but has also come up classification of all the flora and fauna into different catagories like Appendix I, Appendix II and Appendix III

What is Appendix I ?

These are wildlife species, that are already facing extinction or thteatened  with extinction either by way of internation trade or by way of lavish and unreasonable human gluttony. Trade in these species are illegal (unless otherwise specified with due exceptions accorded in the framework)

some of the examples are:

Specimen	Pictoral Example
Tiger
Red Panda
Gorilla
African Elephant

 Note: Picture courtesy wikipedia.

There are Over 800 species listed in the appendix I. Besides the ones displayed in the pictures (as above) there are others such as Cheetah, Manatees, Jaguar, Asian elephant, Rhinoceros, Lion and Chimpanzees that fall on the same Appendix. Visit www.cites.org for more.

Appendix II 

Species that are not necessarily threatened with extinction but has the high likelihood of facing extinction, unless otherswise regulated are calssified under the appendix ii. International trade may be authorised by way of granting import, export, and re-export permit by the concern management and scientific authorities of the concern countries.  The exporting country however will have to make sure that the export will not affect the survival of the species in his/her native jurisdiction.

Over 33,000 speices are classified under appendix II. The captive breed of the animals and cultivated plants of the appendix I are also classified as Appendix II.  The Example of Appendix II are as follows.

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Species	Pictoral Example
American Black Bear
Great White Shark
African Gray Parrot
Green Iguana
Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra

Picture Courtesy: wikipedia

Appendix III
the species that are not necessarily threatened with global extinction. The species are listed in appendix III if the member country request the CITES body to list one of its antive species as endangered. The trade in such species will only be permited with a trade approval letter for the source contry. For instance, If Bhutan Wants to list Blue Sheep in appendix III, it can do so by requesting CITES.  Few Examples as given as below:

Species	Pictoral Example
Himalayan Blue Sheep (For instance: if Bhutan Requests)
Two Toed Sloth By Costarica
African Civet By Bostava
Alligator Snapping turtle By USA

Note : This is NOT an Expert report. The report is written in lay men's language and lay men's terminology.  The intention of writing this report is to educate my readers on the basic aspect of wildlife flora and fauna.

My Sincere Thanks to All the Concerns for Educating me on Wildlife

His Excellency Lyonpo Pema Gyamtsho,
Hon'ble Minister for Agriculture

Mr. Karma Dukpa,
The Director,
Department of Forest and Park Services

Mr. Sonam Wangchuk,
The Chief,
Wildlife Conservation Division

Mr. Lhendup Tharchen,
Forest Officer,
Department of Forest and Park Services
(Invasive Species, Import Restricted)

Mr. Sonam Wangdi,
Forest Officer,
Department of Forest and Park Services
(Critically endangered,  Listed Appendix I)

Mr. Karma Jigme,
Forest Officer,
Department of Forest and Park Service
(Critically endangered Species)

 Mr. Vivek Menon
  Execuitve Director,
International Fund for Animal Welfare  

Dr.ElSayed mohamed
 Programme manager,
International Fund for Animal Welfare  

Mr. Jose louies, Wildlife Trust of India,
Officer Incharge (Male)
And
 Miss. Radhika  Bhagat,
 Wildlife Trust of India
Officer Incharge (female)

Please Radhika and Jose, Forgive me
for I did not have a better picture than this.
I honestly think two of you deserve a big party
after all those tiring  job of
 arranging all the training materials for us. 

Thank you all for Educating me on Wildlife. Please visit my blog, because I am coming up with all the bits an pieces of wildlife knowledge I gained during the four day training. I hope this will help my readers to also understand about the wildlife like we enforcement agencies do. 

What is CITES ? Part One.

Picture Courtesy: CITES web page.

What is CITES?

 As an enforcement officer, this has been the question I have been asking to myself for the last half decade. Had it not been for the personal invitation of my Friend Mr. Lhendup Tharchen and Sonam Wangdi,  (to attend an in depth  training on CITES) I would have still been in the realm of obliviousness. I thank my Boss. Mrs. Yeshey Seldon, for consenting and agreeing to my proposal. Her approval has enabled me to represent my Department in the four day training (even though I missd one valuable day) and in the process allowed me to gain insignt as to What CITES and wildlfe are all about.

Since this is a very vast topic, I would like to share my experience with my readers in diferent parts. I hope my report will help every readers understand more about the consequences of unreasonable and lavish consuming of wildlife products in the form of 8 'F's. Namely: Food, Furniture, 'F'arma (medicines) Fuel, Fooder, Fashion, Fun and Folklore/fable.

I hope my report will also instill some sense of compassion in the heart of every individual for human are the total embodiment of compassion. As a human we know we have unmatched intelligence compared to the other species with whom we share our habitat. But at this juncture, let us also use our human intelligence in practically applying the concept of sustainability, durability and conservation when it comes to harvesting the wilflife products.

By the way the full form of CITES is: Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild life flora and fauna.  

My Second Daughter Turns Three.

On 12th July, 2011 My second daughter turned three. As much as she was happy I was equally happy too. My wife invited few of my daughters friends (mostly our neighbors) to grace the occasion. 

I ordered a cake that weighed little over a kilo. The decoration on the cake made my daughters go frenzy. They in fact wanted to eat the cake even before the actual celebration. I had hard time convincing them about the right time to eat the cake. 

I also bought over 50 balloons in different colors. Before I could actually inflate and hang them on the wall, my youngest daughter already blasted few of them in her jubilation. 

As my mother-in-law and granny cooked meals inside the kitchen, the guests started arriving.  My youngest daughter was at the reception contour. She received all the guests in a language which no linguist would have even understood. They were all served with tea and snacks. Little ones were treated with litchi juice, coco cola and orange juice. 

They all sang the common song as follows:

Happy birthday to you.

Happy birthday to you 

Happy birthday to dear Sonam Dechen Thinley.

Happy birthday to you.

 After the song, my daughter stood amazed and dazed. She received gifts from her friends. Some of them presented her a beautiful skirts, while some also presented her with most valuable books and color pencils. Few even gave her a cash birthday gift!

I told the baker not to put my daughter's name on the cake. I did this because, I wholeheartedly think slicing my daughter's name is not a good thing. I even did not want the candle to be blown off. So before they started feasting, I removed the candle (still burning) to a safe place and let it burn all through. 

In my truest traditional sense, I also lit a butter lamp in my alter.  I prayed for my daughter to have plenty of good things in her life. In general, I prayed for the well being of all the innocent children around the world. 

The Editor Of the Paper Writes to my Boss.

The Director

Regional Revenue and Customs

Thimphu

Sub: Mr Kuenzang Thinley, Customs Officer, Regional Revenue and Customs Office, Paro

Dear Sir,

First up I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Jurmi Chhowing and I work for the weekly paper The Journalist as the paper’s Chief Editor.

This letter is more of a plea to your good judgment and acumen, and the need to clarify the position in which Mr Kuenzang Thinley finds himself embroiled.

Needless to say, I was absolutely surprised, shocked, disheartened and after a long contemplation, still find myself pondering where Mr Kuenzang Thinley went wrong. First up, if you will allow me, I’d like to make the clarification that the letter, which was printed in the 21.6.’11 edition of The Journalist was done so at my personal behest and without the knowledge or permission of Mr Kuenzang. Here the norm is to inform and ask writers and authors outside the paper requesting and seeking permission for publications. In this light, I took the liberty because I had already run about seven articles of Mr Kuenzang from the writing group on Facebook called Blogyul. Any material that is published in that page is selected for eventual or instant publication in The Journalist. The page in the paper itself is called Blogyul. The idea is provide a platform for writers, and encourage people with writing aspirations to write with as much professionalism as possible.  Mr Kuenzang is an invaluable member of that movement and the goals are, to say the least, very noble. After he started posting his writings via his blog

(http://shingkhar.blogspot.com/).

I was drawn by the nature and the language of his stories: of human interest, well balanced, thoughtful, contemplative, and always with a positive bent of mind and hence, providing nurturing food for thoughts regarding the well being of our King, Country and the People.

To me, Mr Kuenzang is the kind of person that personifies everything that is good and wholesome about the Bhutanese and Bhutan as a nation. Never have I read an article of his with any vested or hidden agendas; not even a subtle reference. If anything, his writings evoke inspiration, positivity, optimism and that belief that drives us all to forget the bad and continue doing what is good. In a word, Mr Kuenzang’s writings evoke “Hope” – something we can all use in what is an increasingly cynical age driven by personal egos and public hoodwinks. The letter that caused your offices inconvenience was an invitation made by the Prime Minister himself: to write to your respective MPs was the Pam’s message. In person, and in public too, the PM agrees that the Tobacco Control Act was imbalanced, as far as crime and punishment is concerned.

In that letter written by Mr Kuenzang and published by The Journalist, the contents are anything but antagonistic. I personally see that letter as the best and most articulated point of view written thus far on that controversial tobacco act. The letter pervades and peruses the act in the finest of journalistic traditions – morality, balance, factuality, and most pertinently, the well-reasoned and eloquent points with enriching points of wisdom.

The impact the letter had was tremendous. There was not a single negative comment or feedback on that article, on the contrary, the letter inspired many to do the same. Hence more people are writing today to their representatives than before. And the credit of such a positive interaction and communication between the representatives legislating laws on our behalf and the direct participation of people via their respective constituencies cannot be overstated. It is the basis of democracy itself, engaging in fruitful dialogue and bridging the apparent gap and gulf between the citizen and his elected representative.

Besides that particularly beautiful letter, Mr Kuenzang’s writings present values and traditions that should be conserved and encouraged, specifically keeping in mind the fact that some 60% of our population fall under the age of 24. This demography will reap rich dividends from people such as Mr Kuenzang. The impact of the written word is often intangible, but in terms of its power to change attitudes, the written word is unparalled, as it stays lodged somewhere deep in our consciousness.

I’ve enjoyed and continue to enjoy his writings. But it was indeed very disheartening when he announced on that Facebook Blogyul page that he might delete his blog and stop writing altogether. This will be such a pity. His Majesty the King himself is an artist and a writer, not to mention a voracious reader. Recently His Majesty granted an audience to freelance writers – the guidance was simple, His Majesty encouraged them to keep writing. As for civil servants being disallowed from writing, may I inform your good self that one of my regular contributors, Tashi Pelyang Kasha (An Officer with the Monastic Body Who is a Regular Columnist for The Journalist), who was also at the audience, was given a handsome Soelra by His Majesty for the article To His Majesty the King: In Tribute in last Sunday’s edition of The Journalist. Needless to say, his will to write better has soared to the skies.

(http://www.thejournalist.bt/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=32&Itemid=14)

This same message has been voiced several times by the PM too. He was surprised when we asked him about civil servants writing. “They can write” was what he said. We reminded the PM that the BCSR does not allow free expressions (although the constitution guarantees, as your good self would know, the freedom of expression and the Right to Information). The reason I’m citing the above is also simple: as long as the articles are not detrimental or compromising in any way, shape or form to the national interest, in my case I take the self-responsibility of selecting articles that do not prove sensational or with intent to cause malice, but rather in that romantic hope that people will change for the better; that more youngsters will read and write knowing the power of the pen, and do so with as much prudence, sensitivity and reasonability as possible.

The article by Kuenzang paying tribute to a teacher called Golden Moments: From the Table of a Retired Lopen was personally lauded by the Education Minister in a letter of appreciation he wrote to The Journalist, in effect to Mr Kuenzang as he was the author. Another beautiful article penned by Mr Kuenzang is Welcome to the Family: a Son’s Recollection of His Parents’ (Mis) Fortunes. It is quintessential Bhutanese tale, with sacrifice, family bonds, external and societal pressures, modernization and the pros and cons of such changes sweeping our country as we speak.

It was a beautiful account of what an average Bhutanese family faces, and universal in its theme of love, sacrifice, career, family and trying to better one’s own character; becoming a better person in the process.

I cannot stress enough how valuable a contribution Mr Kuenzang is making through his ability to express experiences into words and stories that I believe inspires and makes the reader do a retrospection of his own morals and dilemmas. If Mr Kuenzang stopped writing altogether because of this single “letter,” I cannot emphasize enough what a huge loss that would be. To himself as writing comes naturally to him and he has an innate sense of choosing the most relevant topics; for him to drop writing would be an injustice to himself and every person that could otherwise derive inspiration from his writings.

Sir, this is my personal plea to your innate goodness – please consider the many valuable contributions he ahs made, for to lose him for a single article would be tantamount to telling a student who has failed in one subject to altogether discontinue his education.

And may I also suggest, on a personal note, what a warm human being Mr Kuenang is… for it’s that inherent goodness embedded within that flows when he writes.

Here are the links to Mr Kuenzang Thinley’s published articles that have featured in The Journalist for your kind perusal.

1.      A letter to Member of Parliament, Bumthang

(News/REARVIEW)

By Kuenzang Thinley - Bumthang, Ura, Shingkhar

Of the many agencies involved in the successful implementation of the Tobacco Control Act of Bhutan 2010, my department has always been in the forefront. ...

2.    The  law making process looks less reasonable and more experimental

(News/IN SIGHT)

By Kuenzang Thinley

THE PROCESS gained its momentum when our venerated monarch, His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck, further went on to strengthen the political system in the country in 1980 and 1990

3.    GOLDEN MOMENTS - from the Table of a Retired Lopen 

(News/REARVIEW)

During my entire service, I have always tried to give the best I had in me to my students

 By Kuenzang Thinley

Going back to my origin, I wasn’t a person who was born with silver spoon...

4.    Welcome to the Family: A Son’s Recollection of His Parents’ (Mis) Fortunes

(News/BLOGYUL)

By Kuenzang Thinley

I have built numerous houses both in my locality and afar. Some of my finest craftsmanship is today visible in the beauty of Tango monastery in Thimphu...

5.    Letter

(News/WEEKLY TAB)

By Kuenzang Thinley

At the national level, 2011 year will be remembered more for the Tobacco Control Act 2010, sentencing a person to prison...

6.   I am Chath Dorji also known as the phallic man of Shingkhar

(News/TIDINGS)

By Kuenzang Thinley

Shingkhar is some 3800 meters above sea level. I am Chat Dorji of Shingkhar. I’m not so sure where I descended from, but my neighbors and friends consider...

Warmest Wishes

Jurmi Chhowing

Chief Editor

The Journalist

Only Photography. No Politics please......

My Wife and my mother-in-law as seen posing for me to take a shot.
Its a photograph with zero knowledge of photography,
if the picture looks nice, then credit my beautiful wife and her mother.

My two good friends.
I have forced them to pose for me.
I think their face says it all?
But tell me, aren't they looking gorgeous. 

Because she is married to my distant cousin,
I consider her as my sister-in-law.
She is sweet person.
Next time you travel by air, just drop in duty free shop to see her.

My Boss (in white) with her glowing smile,
Smile from within, thats what she does.
My another good friend Tashi, who has the best posing skills,
and My younger sister-like ADM officer with her dazzling smile.
She says, if you can smile, then why not show the world.

My Good friend and his beautiful wife, Sangay
On the other side is his sister-in-law,
Her blush makes her all the more beautiful.

Next time you think of eating Pork,
think about these innocent and harmless animals. 

we are friends, but she is more like my elder sister.
She is bold and she is blunt.
But I tell you, she is also a person with good heart too.
If you have Dollars then  She has the Ngultrum.
Please Visit the airport Bank to see her.

A thing of baby sitting is a joy forever???

With my  three little daughters growing up, I have a mushrooming family at home. Like any other father, I love my kids unconditionally. I love them when they cry aloud, laugh non stop, act naughty and be mischievous . I also love them when they shit not only in their panties but also on the floors and carpets. I like to see them feed voraciously and move restlessly in the room.

The very fact that I work, I was not able to give them a deserving quality time as their father. There was always an unspoken message my little daughters always said when I got home every evening. The way they nag at me meant how sincerely they feel my absence and their half hearted cry all the more said how they  honestly appreciate my presence.

In absence of my mother-in-law, I had my fatherly chance of sitting them. Following are some of my experiences:

1. Feeding your baby is not as easy as serving them food.
2. They drink abnormally and pee outrageously.
3. I don't know about others, but my daughters are fashion freak and  they need to change their dress frequently
4. Kids are not a good listener.
5. Kids like music (especially modern)
6. They will only sleep, when they fall asleep. when they do, any corner is just as good as cozy bed for them.
7. Kids like watching TV more; when adults are watching. They have a bad habit of controlling the TV remote control.
8. Kids like going out and playing in the mud. (Be careful, they often mistake mud for chocolate!)
9. Kids cry often and this could either mean, they are feeling bored, sleepy or hungry
10. Kids like playing in the water. ( guard the toilet door or keep it latched)

      So you think You can sit your Baby? 

Do I sound like a Politician ?

I have always believed that ‘what fragrances are to roses, making aplenty promises are to politicians’.  Strangely one need not commit anything to become one. By virtue of being human, I think, we are all born politicians; We are divine promise making machine.

I don’t know to what end and for what, but of late I think I have become a promise maker like politician. It all started when I promised to buy goggles for my wife. With that, I even promised to take her for driving classes. After that it was for my daughters. I promised all three of them a very special birthday gift. I even promised to buy a small nokia phone for my mother-in-law.

Last month I took my father and mother for a shopping in Sunday market. My father was still in a state of recovering from his illness. On seeing a pair of beautiful drum, he appeared engrossed. He said he wanted to buy those drums. But sadly neither of us had enough money to buy both. So I promised to buy him the drums after few months.

Recently, I was in Thimphu at my father-in-law’s place. Since I stay In Woochu, we discussed extensively on the best quality tools including knife, sickle, spade  that we get from there. And traditionally Wochu is a  place known for legendry blacksmiths who were once known for the production of quality local tools.  He told me about a serious requirement of a pair of sickles with ling handle back home for grass and bush cutting in summer. Without even thinking much, I promised him a pair of long handle sickle from Woochu. 

The last promise I made was the most recent one. But however it was nothing new. It is indeed a promise I made long before I even got my job. I promised my father and mother that I will become a very responsible man in my life. After I become one I even promised to come home and acknowledge them in a grand manner. 

Yesterday, my sister called and enquired about the well being of my family. I told her that we are all doing well. In return I asked her about her whereabouts and her well being too. She said she is looking after our yaks in the mountains of Shingkhar. She said she is alone most of the time so I told her to  take good care of herself.

Before, I put off the phone; I asked her if she needed anything from Paro. She said “nothing”. But she said she wanted to discuss one thing with me. It was about her plan and dream of making one of her son become monk. I felt elated about her divine wish.

I told her that’s a very sublime plan and I assured my support for her and her son. I even told her that I will take the full responsibility of renovating our Chhoshom. Not only that I promised her to replace all the old statues with new imported ones from Nepal. She sounded very happy and put off the phone.