Conference rejects protection for polar bears

A US-led plan to stop international trophy hunting of the polar bear and a flourishing trade in polar bear parts was defeated Thursday at a meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in Doha, Qatar. It was the second major defeat of the day for the US – including a sudden vote and refusal by the 175-nation CITES group to ban international trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna, which is a popular sushi dish worldwide, but especially in Japan. But while the tuna defeat was a major blow – because the decline was so obvious, and reversing trade it in would so obviously help – US officials said the polar defeat was just a first step. "It's not uncommon that the first effort to list a species is not success," Tom Strickland, assistant secretary of the Interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks told reporters in a teleconference. "It requires a sustained effort.... So while we are disappointed with the votes today ... we are heartened by the support around world to up-list the polar bear and bluefin tuna."...read more