PRO- AND ANTI-WHALING CAMPS CLASH AT IWC MEET
The 56th annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in Sorrento, Italy, from 19-22 July witnessed heated exchanges between supporters and opponents of commercial whale hunting. Divisions at the IWC meeting were particularly deep with regard to a proposal for the adoption of a "Revised Management Scheme" (RMS) at the next annual meeting of the IWC in 2005. Some participants expressed concern that the draft plan, which included a quota calculation model and procedures for inspection and observation, would effectively spell the end to the 18-year old moratorium on whaling. Anti-whaling nations, such as Australia, the UK and New Zealand, stressed that the draft was too weak and would not protect whales. In the end, the language on the timeline in the resolution was toned down, calling for work towards drafting of text and technical details of the RMS "with the aim of having the results ready for consideration and possibly adoption at" the 2005 IWC meeting. This move was hailed by conservationists. "We have derailed a runaway train toward the resumption of commercial whaling," said Sue Liebermann of WWF. "It does bring commercial whaling closer, but it is a small step, and not the big step that Japan wanted," she added. Japan, one of the most vocal defenders of whaling, expressed "dissatisfaction" with the decision. The IWC also adopted a resolution calling for more humane hunting methods. The Commission, however, rejected proposals for setting up two new whale sanctuaries as well as a Japanese request for new catch quotas.
For a more detailed report on the meeting, see BRIDGES Trade BioRes, 23 July 2004.
"Anti-whalers claim victory in annual joust with pro camp," AFP, 22 July 2004; "IWC talkshop finishes," HNA, 22 July 2004; "Whaling body retreats from rush to lift hunt ban," REUTERS, 23 July 2004; "Whaling body calls for more humane deaths," REUTERS, 22 July 20004; "IWMC condemns whale body’s dereliction of duty," IWMC, 21 July 2004; "Rejection of sanctuaries will aid whale conservation," IWMC, 21 July 2004.
MEETING APPROVES TROPICAL FOREST MANAGEMENT PROJECTS
The thirty-sixth session of the International Tropical Timber Council (ITTC-36) met from 20-23 July in Interlaken, Switzerland. Delegates discussed, inter alia, preparations for renegotiating the 1994 International Tropical Timber Agreement (ITTA), progress reports on the study of forest law enforcement and governance in Malaysia and Honduras, phased approaches to certification and the promotion of sustainable forest management in the Congo Basin. Delegates also deliberated on the recommendations made by the Civil Society Advisory Group/Trade Advisory Group joint workshop on illegal logging and illegal trade. By the session’s conclusion, delegates had approved eleven projects and seven pre-projects and pledged US$5.7 million in new project funding.
The 1985 ITTA was negotiated under the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) to deal with a variety of issues related to international cooperation between countries producing and consuming tropical timber, many relating to sustainable development. The ITTA also established the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO), which provides a framework for countries that produce or consume tropical timber to work together on issues concerning tropical timber and its sustainable management. The ITTO has 58 members, which combined represent 95 percent of world trade in tropical timber and 75 percent of the world’s tropical forests. The renegotiation of the successor agreement to the 1994 ITTA was discussed from 26-30 July in Geneva.
For daily coverage and a summary of ITTC-36 see IISD’s Earth Negotiations Bulletin.
For updates on the of the UN Conference on the negotiation of the successor agreement to the International Tropical Timber Agreement, see http://www.iisd.ca/forestry/itto/itta/
"Summary of the Thirty-Sixth Meeting of the International Tropical Timber Council," EARTH NEGOTIATIONS BULLETIN, June 26 2004; "Council pledges US$6 million for new tropical forest projects and activities," ITTO RELEASE, 24 July 2004.