What is CITES?
Laws, Regulations, and Sanctuaries, Oh My!
CITES is an international agreement with 176 parties, including the United States, which has the goal to ensure that international trade in wild plants and animals does not threaten their existence. This agreement is important and represents a clear recognition by the world, that the different species contained are threatened with extinction.(WildEarth Guardians, 2013) However for the Hector’s Dolphin, this on it’s own has been proven to be insufficient. It is listed on CITES Appendix II, and the species is still considered endangered with a decreasing population. One of the issues is that CITES only applies to international trade in endangered species. The focus only on trade also results in CITES’ focus being too narrow to protect Hector’s dolphin from the many other threats that they face like bycatch, disease, as well as habitat degradation, among others. This agreement may provide some level of help to those animals who are subject to international trade, however to those like this sweet dolphin, there is no direct benefitwhich are not traded do not directly receive benefits from CITES listing (WildEarth Guardians, 2013).
Map of Hector's Dolphin Sightings/Location of Gillnet and Trawling bans
Courtesy of Earthrace Conservation
Is New Zealand Really Doing Its Part?
New Zealand has put into place protection of this amazing mammal. They have achieved this by setting aside two protected areas to promote the conservation. One of them, Banks Peninsula Marine Mammal Sanctuary, was established in 1988 under the Marine Mammals Protection Act to protect Hector’s dolphins. The sanctuary extends 1,170 km2, 70 nautical miles along the coast around the Banks Peninsula to the Rakaia River, and out to 4 nautical miles off the coast (WildEarth Guardians,2013). The overall effectiveness has been tangled due to the interests of sports and commercial fishermen. The Fact that the dolphins’ offshore distribution extends further than the protected area also impacts the effectiveness of the zones. In the Banks Peninsula the dolphins are found further offshore than anywhere else, about 65% of the dolphins in the area are outside the sanctuary boundaries in the winterwinter months (WildEarth Guardians, 2013). This means that these animals aren't protected in the areas and times that they really need it, resulting in more bycatch and unnecessary deaths that could have been prevented.
Map of New Zealand and Hector's Dolphin Range
Courtesy of Rudolph89