ABU DHABI, 3 Jan, 05 (WAM) - The Convention on the Conservation ofWildlife and Natural Habitats in the Countries of the Gulf CooperationCouncil (GCC) Standing Committee will hold its third meeting inAbu Dhabi. Among the topics to be discussed is the proposal issued inthe last meeting in Kuwait in June 2004 to review the convention's appendicesmaking them more relevant to today's global situation. Being taken intoconsideration are the native and introduced species into the GCC countries,migrant species, birds, and those species that fall under regional andinternational conventions related to preserving biodiversity. The meetingis to be held at the Millennium Hotel on 4-6 January, according toa press release issued today.
Member countries will be presenting their proposals to improve the conservationand sustainable use of species. The State of Qatar's proposal to facilitatethe movement of falcons through GCC countries, will be discussed duringthe meeting. This proposal emanated from a consultative meeting on thetrade of falcons, which was organized by the Secretariat of the Conventionon Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and heldin Abu Dhabi. Qatar's recommendation will be one among many proposalsto be considered at the meeting.
Furthermore, the UAE, in its capacity as the coordinator of CITES affairsin the GCC, is proposing the inclusion of a permanent item in the agendaof future meetings regarding CITES implementation in GCC countries. TheUAE will also reinforce its reservation regarding the rest of the agarwoodspecie, other than Aquilaria malaccensis. This species is currently listedunder the Conference of Parties to the CITES Appendix II and is onlyallowed to be traded internationally with permits. The UAE stands byits reservation because there is no sufficient information related tothe international trade of this species. Also, there is no identificationmanual available internationally to identify any agarwood species. TheAgarwood tree's smoke and oil, locally known as Aoud, are customarilyused as perfume in the Gulf. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will be recommendingthat a mechanism of coordination be set in place regarding the Conventionof Biodiversity in the GCC countries.
The Convention on the Conservation of Wildlife and Natural Habitatsin the Countries of the GCC was initiated when GCC leaders gathered inMuscat, Oman for the 22nd Gulf Summit in 2001. It came as an initiativefrom the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Developmentin Saudi Arabia. The Convention focuses on the preservation of ecosystemsand wildlife, especially species threatened with extinction, in a sustainableway. Moreover, it aims to raise the standards of conserving flora andfauna and natural habitats. It also encourages cooperation between theGCC countries in this regard taking into consideration the damage theenvironment and natural resources may have suffered during the early1990s.
