The agency said many of the proposals reflected growing international concern about the accelerating destruction of the world's marine and forest resources through overfishing and excessive logging.

"Biological diversity faces many threats, ranging from habitat destruction to climate change to unrestrained commercial harvesting for trade," said Achim Steiner, executive director of the UN Environment Programme, which administers CITES.

The conference allows countries to amend rules aimed at defining and protecting endangered species. Currently some 530 animal and 300 plant species benefit from complete protection under CITES, while only restricted trade is allowed for another 4,460 animal and 28,000 plants.

Potentially the most endearing new candidate for a complete ban on trade is the endangered Slow Loris, a small, furry, nocturnal primate from south and southeast Asia.

Cambodia, which is sponsoring full protection under CITES Appendix I, says the Loris is threatened by a combination of the destruction of its forest habitat, growing demand for traditional medicine and as a pet.

Officials underlined a shift in focus this year away from the more traditional endagered species to commercially over-exploited fish and trees.

"Commercial timber and fish species have long been kept away from CITES. Those species were considered off limits," said CITES Secretary General Willem Wijnstekers. "That is changing."

"Extensive deforestation" of the cedar tree in South and central America, is prompting the European Union to seek trade restrictions under Appendix II for the species, which is valued for its insect and rot resistant wood.

The EU also wants the trade in European eels, a popular food in coastal areas of northern Europe, and the spiny dogfish, a type of shark prized in fish and chip shops, to be subject to a permit system and fisheries management, CITES said.

Germany, which currently holds the European Union presidency, said the spiny dogfish was vulnerable because of its tendency to travel in large schools that are easily trawled by fishing boats and its slow reproductive rate.

Meanwhile European eel stocks have declined "dramatically" due to overfishing, according to CITES.

Other fish species up for protection due to over-exploitation include Brazilian lobsters.

A popular item in home aquariums, the striking tropical Bangai cardinal fish, is also a candidate for listing, because about 700,000 to 900,000 of them are collected every year.

The United States wants to control the trade in pink coral for the first time, because of the over-exploitation of tropical coral reefs which have been rendered fragile and bleached by climate change.

The pink variety of the polyp has been prized in jewellery and for decoration for 5,000 years.

Several countries sought to lower protection on species, including the Black Cayman in Brazil. Uganda asked for a ban on trade related to Ugandan leopards to be lifted to allow limited trade in sports trophies, CITES said.

Wijnstekers said other bids to remove species from protection altogether suggested that measures to save endangered species were successful. This year's list included the North American bobcat and several types of cactus.

earlier related report
Coral, trees, cuddly mammal up for protection from human trade: CITES
Geneva (AFP) Feb 28 - Pink coral, cedar trees, types of fish eaten in Europe and a cuddly, wide-eyed mammal that is prized in Asian medicine are among the animal and plant species that could gain greater protection this year, a UN agency said Wednesday.

The United Nations agency regulating the trade in endangered species, CITES, unveiled some 40 new government proposals for changes to wildlife trade rules which will be considered at the organisation's conference in June.

The agency said many of the proposals reflected growing international concern about the accelerating destruction of the world's marine and forest resources through overfishing and excessive logging.

"Biological diversity faces many threats, ranging from habitat destruction to climate change to unrestrained commercial harvesting for trade," said Achim Steiner, executive director of the UN Environment Programme, which administers CITES.

Potentially the most endearing candidate for a complete ban trade is the Slow Loris, a small furry nocturnal primate from south and southeast Asia.

Cambodia, which is sponsoring full protection under CITES Appendix I, says the Loris is threatened by a combination of the destruction of its forest habitat and growing demand for traditional medicine and as a pet.

The requests also include an attempt by the United States to control the trade in pink coral for the first time, because of the overexploitation of tropical coral reefs which have been rendered fragile and bleached by climate change.

The pink variety of the polyp has been prized in jewellery and for decoration for 5,000 years.

"Extensive deforestation" of the cedar tree in South and central America, is prompting the European Union to seek trade restrictions under Appendix II for the species, which is valued for its insect and rot resistant wood.

The EU also wants the trade in the European eels, a popular food in coastal areas of northern Europe, and the spiny dogfish, a type of shark prized in fish and chip shops, to be subject to a permit system and fisheries management, CITES said.

Germany, which currently holds the European Union presidency, said the spiny dogfish was vulnerable because of its tendency to travel in large schools that are easily trawled by fishing boats and its slow reproductive rate.

Meanwhile European eel stocks have declined "dramatically" due to overfishing according to CITES.

Other fish species up for protection due to overexploitation include Brazilian lobsters, while several countries want complete halt in trade in the sawfish, a favourite for traditional medicine.

A popular item in home aquariums, the striking tropical Bangai cardinal fish, is also a candidate for listing, because about 700,000 to 900,000 of them are collected every year.

earlier related report
CITES urges Africa to overcome differences on ivory trade
Geneva (AFP) Feb 28 - The UN agency regulating the trade in endangered species, CITES, on Wednesday urged African states to overcome their deepening divide over a ban on the ivory trade and elephant conservation.

"We need an African position on this issue," said David Morgan, the head of CITES' scientific support unit.

"As long as Africa is divided, then the chances of success are not so high," he told journalists.

The agency revealed that the mainly southern and eastern African nations in the elephants' range, as well as Mali, submitted conflicting proposals for the its triennial conference starting on June 3.

They range from Tanzania's request to downgrade controls locally, to Kenya and Mali's joint proposal to maintain a complete ban on ivory trade for 20 years.

"This demonstrates the divisions that still exist between African nations on the way forward for conservation of African elephants. That gap is certainly something we in the secretariat feel needs to be bridged," Morgan said.

"We're hoping to organise a dialogue meeting for all the countries that hold African elephants before the conference, so that away from the spotlight they can find some sort of agreement," he added.

The conference allows countries to amend rules aimed at defining and protecting endangered animal and plant species, including the 1989 ban on commercial ivory trade and some conditional, one-off sales allowed since then.

Kenya and Mali have proposed a complete ban on the overall trade in elephant tusks or finished ivory products for two decades for consideration at the conference in The Hague, CITES said.

The West and East African nations argued that allowing any trade in ivory would increase elephant poaching.

Meanwhile, Tanzania is recommending that its domestic elephant population be downgraded from the blanket protection afforded under a complete trade ban (CITES Appendix I), to more limited restrictions (Appendix II).

Although it did not propose any immediate quota, Tanzania said some ivory trading would provide a "sustainable and valuable instrument of conservation," according to the UN agency.

Botswana and Namibia have submitted a joint proposal to maintain restricted sales in southern Africa while easing conditions for future sales. Botswana is also independently seeking authorisation for additional one-off ivory sales of 40 tonnes.

The conference on June 3 to 15 is also due to re-examine a monitoring system to assess the impact of poaching, which Botswana, Namibia and South Africa were meant set up in return for being allowed one-off sales totalling 60 tonnes of ivory.

CITES found that the data was still not sufficiently complete last October and maintained its block on the one-off sales that had been agreed in principle five years ago.

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