CITES CoP20 Tackles Wildlife Crime Demand
Stopping illegal and unsustainable trade in wild species requires behaviour change with consumers, to complement law enforcement efforts along supply chains.
Marking a decade of action to cut demand for trafficked wild species, this year’s 20th Conference of the Parties to CITES in Samarkand reviewed ambition, activities, achievements and adaptive management options with consumer behaviour change.
2025 marks 10 years since the drafting of the Demand Reduction Resolution under CITES, and TRAFFIC has been supporting the implementation of this work ever since.
The Demand Reduction side event, held on Saturday 29th November, was moderated by TRAFFIC Senior Director Melanie Heath, with opening remarks delivered by CITES Secretary General Ivonne Higuero and Head of the German Delegation, Mr Jürgen Friedrich. The session featured highlights, success stories, challenges, and lessons learned from efforts to reduce demand for CITES-listed species. Key discussion points covered trends in the taxa and territories of focus, evaluation approaches, and an assessment of impact for targeted species.
A Decade of Demand Reduction using Behaviour Change
The session reviewed conservation efforts since CITES formally adopted Resolution Conf. 17.4 (2016) on Demand Reduction, noting that Parties and observers have significantly expanded their experience around changing consumer behaviour.
The core presentation reviewed progress and challenges over the past decade. Experts presented evidence demonstrating the impact of these programmes, particularly in Asia, whilst recognising that future efforts could be strengthened. Recommendations were made around the need to better resource work on demand reduction, expanding the number of species targeted and the locations in which work was delivered, in addition to diversifying consumer behaviour change initiatives, beyond communications campaigns, to embrace additional approaches such as the use of technology, training, choice architecture, incentives and peer pressure.
TRAFFIC authored the official Guidance for CITES Parties on Demand Reduction, which was formally endorsed at CoP19 in Panama (2022), meaning all Parties are now urged to use this. The Guidance has since been rolled out globally through regional training events led by TRAFFIC in Asia and Africa, providing Parties with the skills, knowledge and capabilities they need for demand reduction efforts.
The adoption of the CITES Demand Reduction Resolution in 2016 marked a true milestone. It created the necessary drive for a strategic, mainstreamed approach to behavioural change and responsible consumption. To support implementation of this important Resolution, Germany is pleased to work with the CITES Secretariat and TRAFFIC in developing practical guidance.
Jürgen Friedrich – Head of Germany Delegation
Strengthening Global Partnerships
The Guidance emphasises the importance of multistakeholder collaboration in changing consumer behaviour and the event brought together diverse government representatives able to speak to this, from the European Union, Germany, China and Singapore.
The Way Forward: Strategic Action
Despite successes, the discussion highlighted that only a small proportion of funding for tackling Illegal Wildlife Trade is directed towards demand reduction, and that campaigns often focus on a limited number of charismatic species. To strengthen future efforts and tackle the next decade of wildlife crime, the event urged CITES Parties and stakeholders to focus on increasing resourcing for demand reduction, expanding and diversifying their focus to include more species and territories, and improving collaboration to amplify messages and maximise impact.
TRAFFIC continues to provide support for Parties interested in creating scalable, replicable models that contribute to long-term reductions in illegal wildlife trade. More information on global demand reduction efforts can be found on the official CITES Demand Reduction resource page.
When conducted legally, sustainably, and responsibly, wildlife trade can provide livelihoods for rural communities and economic opportunity at the local and national levels. Illegal trade, on the other hand, exacerbates the threats to wildlife as it endangers the survival of plants and animal species in the wild and erodes benefits to people from legal and sustainable trade. Looking ahead, our task is clear: Parties and partners should continue to implement demand reduction strategies to combat wildlife crime, leveraging Secretariat-led pilot projects, EU-supported initiatives, and other opportunities.
Ivonne Higuero, CITES Secretary General
