Vantara submits voluntary CITES commitments, steps up focus on in-situ conservation

Vantara has on Wednesday submitted a set of voluntary commitments to the CITES Management Authority of India strengthening its governance transparency and due diligence in wildlife conservationThe commitments mdash sent to the Indian CITES Management Authority and filed with the Indian Supreme Court for overall compliance mdash will ensure full confidence in Vantararsquos adherence to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora CITES and mark a decisive shift in focus from ex situ conservation toward in situ conservation supporting wildlife within their range states mdash with a greater focus on India as part of this shiftCritiques and suggestionsVantararsquos Governing Council being announced on Wednesday has closely reviewed the critiques observations and constructive suggestions raised by organisations experts journalists and other stakeholders over time In response the Council has endorsed or recommended a series of measures to strengthen Vantararsquos governance transparency due diligence and conservation practicesVantara has accepted these recommendations in full and is committed to implementing them as part of a stronger framework guiding its future work Vantara is choosing to hold itself to standards beyond what the law requires in order to build trust and confidenceMeasures includegtgt Prioritise rescue rehabilitation and conservation within India and expand support for State Forest Departments rescue centres conservation breeding and zoo modernisationgtgt Redirect its international efforts toward strengthening rescue centres veterinary hospitals and conservation programmes in range states rather than relocating animalsgtgt Create a dedicated international fund to support wildlife conservation in countries of originTransparency and accountabilitygtgt Publish internal procedures and submit sixmonthly progress reports to the CITESgtgt Invite CITES inspections maintain an opendoor policygtgt Publicly acknowledge and implement constructive external recommendationsgtgt Deepen engagement with the conservation community and media and respond to criticism through dialogue transparency and evidence mdash not litigationVerification and governancegtgt Fully document and verify the complete provenance and acquisition history of every specimengtgt Appoint Mr John E Scanlon AO former Secretary General of CITES and renowned environmentalist as the inaugural independent Chair the Governing Councilgtgt Establish an independent international CITES Due Diligence Committee comprised of former CITES Secretariat senior officials and leading wildlife expertsgtgt Introduce a mandatory threestage review for any future acquisitiongtgt Establish an Advisory Board and a Global Governing Council as the peak governing bodygtgt Pursue internationally recognised accreditation and benchmarking with leading zoological and conservation organisationsImport restrictionsgtgt Withdraw all pending applications to import live animals gtgt Make no new import applications until Indiarsquos new CITES Standard Operating Procedure SOP is in force gtgt Consult the CITES Management Authority before any future import application gtgt Permanent commitment not to import on the basis of a CITES reexport certificateAlso for a period of 12 months starting June 5 2026 while Vantara builds the governance the expertise and procedures described it will make no application to import any live animal even if the SOP were to be finalised sooner or even if this authorityrsquos approval were to come sooner The perod is a minimum and not a term Vantara could extend it upon advice and a decision to continue the moratorium if recommended will be implementedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever