The majority of trade in Annex A taxa was captive-produced or artificially propagated with key commodities exported including plant seeds, live plants and live reptiles. The vast majority of Annex A trade was for commercial purposes. Trade in Annex A species reported as pre-Convention involved ivory and timber carvings. The following section provides details of ivory carvings as this commodity is predominately pre-Convention rather than captive-produced.
Commodities by group (re-)exported by EU Member States at quantities greater than 1000 units in 2014, ordered by quantity (as reported by (re-)exporters). Quantities have been rounded to whole numbers. Trade for scientific purposes (purpose ‘S’) is excluded.
| Group | Commodity | Quantity (re-)exported | Main source | Main purpose | No. taxa involved | Main taxa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [l]Plants | [l]seeds | [r]29 855 | [l]A (89%) | [l]T (100%) | [r]22 | [r][i]Ariocarpus retusus[/i] (29%) |
| [l]Plants | [l]live | [r]13 980 | [l]A (95%) | [l]No purpose specified (56%) | [r]89 | [r]Paphiopedilum spp. (Venus slipper orchid; 59%) |
| [l]Reptiles | [l]live | [r]11 702 | [l]C (>99%) | [l]T (99%) | [r]18 | [r][i]Testudo hermanni[/i] (Hermann’s tortoise; 87%) |
| [l]Birds | [l]live | [r]8959 | [l]C (93%) | [l]T (95%) | [r]87 | [r][i]Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae[/i] (Red-crowned parakeet; 23%) |
| [l]Mammals | [l]ivory carvings | [r]8 060 | [l]O (95%) | [l]T (80%) | [r]3 | [r][i]Loxodonta africana[/i] (African elephant; 71%) |
| [l]Reptiles | [l]leather products (small) | [r]4432 | [l]D (99%) | [l]T (99%) | [r]5 | [r][i]Crocodylus porosus[/i] (Salt water crocodile; 42%) |
| [l]Plants | [l]powder (kg) | [r]1869 | [l]D (100%) | [l]T (100%) | [r]1 | [r][i]Saussurea costus[/i] (Kuth; 100%) |
| [l]Mammals | [l]ivory carvings (kg) | [r]1 745 | [l]O (100%) | [l]T (80%) | [r]3 | [r][i]Loxodonta africana[/i] (African elephant; 100%) |
| [l]Reptiles | [l]skins | [r]1389 | [l]D (95%) | [l]T (100%) | [r]4 | [r][i]Crocodylus siamensis[/i] (Siamese crocodile; 83%) |
| [l]Timber | [l]carvings | [r]1144 | [l]O (>99%) | [l]T (82%) | [r]2 | [r][i]Dalbergia nigra[/i] (Brazilian rosewood; >99%) |
Ivory carvings
Over 8 000 ivory carvings (including trade reported as Elephantidae spp., Loxodonta africana and Elephas maximus) were exported by the EU in 2014, the majority for commercial purposes (80%). Nearly all trade in ivory carvings was reported as pre-Convention (95%) with the remainder reported as unknown source, wild-sourced or no source was specified. Asia was the main region of destination of exports of ivory carvings (65%); China was the top individual destination country, accounting for 56% of exports.
(Re-)export of ivory carvings by EU Member States in 2014, by CITES region of destination and source (n=8059.5). Other includes source unknown and no source specified. 686 ivory carvings were (re-) exported to unknown countries.
The main EU (re-)exporter of ivory carvings was the United Kingdom (73%). More than 99% of ivory carvings were re-exports; the origin of most re-exports was reported as unknown (89%).
In addition to trade in ivory carvings reported in number of items, the (re-)export of 1745 kg of ivory carvings was also recorded, all of which was pre-Convention. Asia was the main region of destination of these exports (90%); with Japan and Vietnam principal destination markets (46% and 43% of all exports respectively).
A total of 8064 carvings of Loxodonta africana (African elephant), Elephas maximus (Asian elephant), and Elephantidae spp. (combined) were (re-)exported by the EU in 2014 representing a 28% decrease over the quantities re-exported in 2013.
EU-reported (re-)exports of elephant carvings, by taxa, 2010-2014.
Live reptiles were the only Annex A commodity (re-)exported at over 1 000 units by candidate countries. Candidate countries reported the export of 18 320 live reptiles in 2014, all of which were captive-bred for commercial purposes. Trade in Annex A live reptiles comprised Testudo graeca (Spur-thighed tortoise), T. hermanni (Hermann’s tortoise) and T. marginata (Marginated tortoise). FYR Macedonia was the main exporter of live reptiles (70%), one third of which were exported to Hong Kong, SAR.