Advancing marine conservation
By Dr. Amanda Vincent It is truly wondrous that the world has managed to create a global action group for conservation, one that includes 1200 governments and non-governmental organizations. I am so involved in this club, called the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) that I seldom step back and really look at …
By Dr. Amanda Vincent Good. Two more seahorses species should get better help, thanks to the recent CITES technical meeting for animals. At this meeting, CITES expressed Urgent Concern about Guinea and Senegal’s exports of West African seahorses (Hippocampus algiricus – photo right) and Thailand’s exports of three spotted seahorses (Hippocampus trimaculatus). The upshot is that these countries have …
Here we go: CITES again. Every year or so, several hundred people sit down at a technical meeting to see whether international trade controls are doing any good for animals. It’s a somewhat crazy process, full of potential and limitations. CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, is responsible for ensuring sustainability in exports in 4827 animal species. It works more or less well for different countries and different species.… Read more
By Dr. Amanda Vincent Over the past few days, ZSL and Project Seahorse staff have begun delivering emergency aid to communities in Panay, Bantayan, and Danajon Bank, three areas where no other external help is available. Because of our strong ties with the local communities — about 40 towns and villages in all, with a …
By Dr. Amanda Vincent Dear friends, As you know, it’s been an incredibly difficult few weeks for the Philippines. Following a 7.2 magnitude earthquake last month that caused considerable loss of lives and homes, the Visayas region was on Friday hit by Typhoon Haiyan (a.k.a. Yolanda), one the strongest tropical storms on record. The regions …
By Dr. Amanda Vincent In collaboration with iLCP, We’ve launched our very first IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign, in support of Expedition: Danajon Bank. Our goal? To raise US $30,000 in support of the project. As part of the campaign, we’ll be producing postcards, limited edition original photo prints, posters, signed copies of the book, and much more. Our backers …
By Dr. Amanda Vincent There it is. I have survived another week of UN negotiations on wildlife trade. And emerged content. I’ve been in Geneva to contribute to the technical working group on animals for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES. It meets to execute the will of …
By Dr. Amanda Vincent I heard a profoundly important yet humorous anecdote at the workshop we are leading in Cebu, Philippines. Project Seahorse has gathered colleagues from many sectors for a discussion around our research findings on marine protected areas (MPAs) under the mantra of “MPAs in the Philippines: Ever more, ever better.” We are delighted that …
By Dr. Amanda Vincent I was delighted this week to have a chance to meet two other conservationists who have won Whitley Awards for grassroots nature conservation: Deepak Apte from India and Rachel Graham from Belize. Having won the first of these awards in 1994, back in the mists of time, I have a strong interest in …
By Dr. Amanda Vincent So, how can we ensure that the commercial trade of marine life doesn’t damage wild populations? I am writing this while sitting in a discussion group with a bunch of other scientists, most of whom who have spent years working with CITES, a UN convention that controls exports of species that are …
