CITES Convention impacts on the tourism in Turkiye

The analysis of touristic activities managed in accordance with the CITES Convention in terms of Turkiye. Necessity of properly intervened and effectively preserved ecological balance. The importance of the CITES Convention in terms of the tourism.

Рубрика Спорт и туризм
Вид статья
Язык английский
Дата добавления 28.07.2023
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CITES CONVENTION IMPACTS ON THE TOURISM IN TURKIYE

CAGDAN UYAR

Abstract

convention tourism turkiye ecological

The relevance of this study. Biodiversity provides transboundary benefits and global conservation of biodiversity is crucial for the world. Countries can assure the protection of biodiversity thruogh international conventions. The Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna has a significance of having the party of the 184 countires in the world so it is one of the most protective conventions with the highest number of parties among all biodiversity conventions. When just a turtle is considered, while one country in the world demands to eat its meat, another country conducts scientific research with its skeleton, blood and body secretions, and another country collects antiques from its shell. While this functionality is possible even for only one terrestrial species, in this regard, preventing illegal activities in ecotourism would be a great favor to the nature. The main problems. Because of the need of inspiration for the inventions, discovering new places and gaining the universal vision; people see tourism as a primary need for humanity. From the perspective of biodiversity, preservation of ecological balance is crucial for greater resilience; tourism and biodiversity should be considered together. In recent years, as people have begun to realize the value of nature, concerns about the future have begun to increase. It has been seen that everything natural and unnatural that serves human beings needs to be examined in a multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary approach. From souvenirs to interior architectural design, from types of food to clothing, from antiques to scientific research, from medicines to cosmetics; flora and fauna species that are endangered or vulnerable to extinction should be recognized. The following tasks. In this regard the following tasks are; to emphasize the importance of protecting forests, which are the habitats where biodiversity is most prevalent, in order to approach the issue on the basis of wildlife conservation. To remind that the most basic and legal infrastructure that ensures the protection of biodiversity is environmental conventions. For this reason, introducing Turkiye authorities of the CITES Convention and evaluating the liabilities of the Convention in terms of Turkiye's implementations. The aim of research. The fact that the sustainability of biodiversity is linked to the human activities shows that humans also have a role to play in its conservation. The main purpose of the research is to analysis of touristic activities managed in accordance with the CITES Convention in terms of Turkiye. The paper concluded. It is concluded that a more properly intervened and effectively preserved ecological balance will bring maximum touristic benefits. It is expected that the importance of the Convention in terms of the tourism will be understood and kept up to date for future plannings. The novelty. The novelty of the analyzed topic is that touristic activity permissions in the forests and protected areas can cause the destroying or jeopardizing the wildlife shall not be included enough within the scope of plannings either. The main causes of biodiversity loss include: negligence of forest visitors, insufficient training for tourism agencies, and that the CITES Convention has not been fully integrated into the subject. As the result. Turkiye has a rich diversity of species and habitats which is more than enough to promote eco-tourism. The requirements to effectively combat bio-smuggling are expressed in terms of tourism activities. Tourism-focused solutions were proposed and measures that can be taken against human pressure were discussed in line with Turkiye's current fauna and flora diversity data. The used methodology. In the recent years, all approaches to the conservation of biodiversity are of great value. Research with the right methodology will produce quick solutions. In this research, approaches that bring together two different disciplines were adopted. Document analysis, systematic analysis, comparative analysis, logical - analytical and meta - analysis methods were used.

Keywords: Wildlife Conservation, Forest Protection, Environmental Convention, Eco-Tourism, CITES.

Анотація

КАГДАН УЯР - лектор, Університет Стамбулу-Черахпаса, Стамбул, Турція

ВПЛИВ КОНВЕНЦІЇ CITES НА ТУРИЗМ У ТУРЦІЇ

Актуальність даного дослідження. Біорізноманіття забезпечує транскордонні переваги і глобальне збереження біорізноманіття має вирішальне значення для світу. Країни можуть забезпечити захист біорізноманіття за допомогою міжнародних конвенцій. Конвенція про міжнародну торгівлю видами дикої флори та фауни, що перебувають під загрозою зникнення, має значення, оскільки її стороною є 184 країни світу, тому вона є однією з конвенцій із найбільшим захистом із найбільшою кількістю сторін серед усіх конвенцій про біорізноманіття.

Якщо говорити лише про черепаху, тоді як одна країна світу вимагає їсти її м'ясо, інша країна проводить наукові дослідження її скелета, крові та виділень тіла, а інша країна збирає антикваріат з її панцира. Хоча ця функція можлива навіть лише для одного наземного виду, у зв'язку з цим запобігання незаконній діяльності в екотуризмі було б великою користю для природи. Основні проблеми. Через потребу в натхненні для винаходів, відкриття нових місць і отримання універсального бачення, люди вважають туризм головною потребою людства. З точки зору біорізноманіття, збереження екологічної рівноваги має вирішальне значення для більшої стійкості; туризм і біорізноманіття слід розглядати разом. В останні роки, коли люди почали усвідомлювати цінність природи, занепокоєння щодо майбутнього почало зростати. Було з'ясовано, що все природне і неприродне, що служить людині, потребує вивчення у контексті мультидисциплінарного або міждисциплінарнго підходу. Від сувенірів до архітектурного дизайну інтер'єру, від видів їжі до одягу, від антикваріату до наукових досліджень, від ліків до косметики; види флори та фауни, які знаходяться під загрозою зникнення, повинні бути визнані. Завдання. У зв'язку з цим наступні завдання: підкреслити важливість захисту лісів, які є середовищами існування, де найбільше поширене біорізноманіття, щоб підійти до проблеми на основі збереження дикої природи. Визначимо, що найосновнішою та законною інфраструктурою, яка забезпечує захист біорізноманіття, є екологічні конвенції. З цієї причини представлено повноваження Туреччини щодо Конвенції CITES та оцінено зобов'язання Конвенції з точки зору виконання Туреччиною. Мета дослідження. Той факт, що стійкість біорізноманіття пов'язана з діяльністю людини, свідчить про те, що люди також відіграють певну роль у його збереженні. Основною метою дослідження є аналіз туристичної діяльності, яка ведеться відповідно до Конвенції СІТЕС з точки зору Туреччини. Зроблено висновок, що більш належне втручання та ефективне збереження екологічного балансу принесе максимальну користь для туристів. Очікується, що важливість Конвенції з точки зору туризму буде зрозуміла та оновлена для майбутніх планів. Новизна проаналізованої теми полягає в тому, що дозволи на туристичну діяльність у лісах і заповідних територіях можуть спричинити знищення або загрозу дикій природі також не повинні бути включені достатньою мірою в сферу планування. Основні причини втрати біорізноманіття включають: недбалість відвідувачів лісу, недостатню підготовку туристичних агентств і те, що Конвенція CITES не була повністю інтегрована в цю тему. Висновок. Туреччина має багате різноманіття видів і середовищ існування, яких більш ніж достатньо для розвитку екологічного туризму. Вимоги щодо ефективної боротьби з біоконтрабандою виражені в термінах туристичної діяльності. Були запропоновані рішення, орієнтовані на туризм, обговорені заходи, які можна вжити проти людського тиску, відповідно до поточних даних про різноманітність фауни та флори Туреччини. Використана методологія. В останні роки всі підходи до збереження біорізноманіття мають велике значення. Дослідження за допомогою правильної методології дадуть швидкі рішення. У цьому дослідженні були прийняті підходи, які об'єднують дві різні дисципліни. Використовувалися методи аналізу документів, системного аналізу, порівняльного аналізу, логіко-аналітичний та метааналіз.

Ключові слова: охорона дикої природи, охорона лісів, екологічна конвенція, екологічний туризм, CITES.

Introduction. Statement of the problem

The data showed that many species are endangered and governments have been urged to restrict the import of such animals in accordance with the export laws of the countries of origin. When the increasing wildlife trade raised concerns about protectionism, and its effects began to be discussed; one of the first important steps was taken in 1960 at the 7th General Assembly of IUCN in Warsaw, Poland (Inskipp and Wells, 2019). In response to this need, the CITES Convention entered in force in 1 July 1975, and today it is seen as the leading convention amongst the most wide-reaching environmental protection conventions.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species ofWild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an international agreement between governments. Its purpose is to make sure that international trade in wild animal and plant specimens does not threaten the survival of the species. Because the trade in wild animals and plants crosses borders between countries, the effort to regulate it requires international cooperation to safeguard certain species from over-exploitation. CITES was conceived in the spirit of such cooperation. Today, it accords varying degrees of protection to more than 38.000 species of animals and plants, whether they are traded as live specimens, fur coats or dried herbs (CITES, 2022).

Across the world 186 million hectares of forest are allocated for social services such as recreation, tourism, educational research and the protection of cultural and spiritual sites. The area designated for this type of forest use has increased by 186.000 hectares per year since 2010 (SOY, 2020). In this respect the CITES Convention should be implemented at every stage of nature-based touristic activities. The first step in effective eco-tourism management is to know the legal infrastructure in a conservation and sustainable approach.

Relevance of the topic

It is recommended that planning for tourism should become more holistic, inclusive, equitable and adaptable and focused on the question of what tourism can sustain (Spenceley et. al., 2021). According to The World Tourism Organization Secretary General Zurab Pololikashvili; Wildlife tourism has the potential to benefit both people and the planet and therefore plays a key role in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (UNWTO, 2022). (World Tourism Organization Welcomes $1 Million Donation to Grow Wildlife Tourism For The Benefit of People and Planet 28 October 2019. https://www.unwto.org/world-tourismorganization-welcomes-1-million-donation-growwildlife-touris. (Access date: 17.08.2022).

The contributions of biodiversity to national economies include food diversity, medicinal products, various commercials gains associated with genes and natural products, and tourism-related gains (Atik et. al., 2010).

The most preferred natural places for international touristic visits in Turkiye are can be listed as; museums (such as university wildlife museums, the wildlife museums in the ancient cite areas), zoos, protected areas allocated to eco-tourism (recreational areas, botanical parks, national parks/gardens, outdoor sports like orienteering, hiking and, diving), educational tourism (insectarium, arboretum, herbarium, bird watching), photography, hunting, fishing, camping and, walking in the parks and forest areas.

Major threats in nature based tourism can be listed as; poaching, bio-smuggling, food consumption, (illegal) trade. Conservation depends on policy makers and practitioners for success. For example, a huge demand for wildlife as for food, medicine, pets, display, and fashion has led to increased animal trafficking and many wildlife species with a high commercial value are now endangered. The CITES Convention and other international agreements often remain unenforced (Birben and Gen?ay, 2019).

Although numerous cases can be found of the threats of photographing wild animals, either illegally caught or in their natural habitat throughout their range - which can cause stress to the animals - no published studies have quantified this threat yet (Osterberg and Nekaris, 2015a). The equally popular dissemination of such photographs through social networking sites may lead to the public perception that these species are not threatened (Ross et. al., 2011; Schroepfer et al., 2011).

The object of research

Examining the relationship between the CITES Convention and tourism activities in Turkiye.

The aim of research

Raising the awareness of the application areas of the CITES Convention and enhancing multidisciplinary approaches for the conservation of biodiversity.

The main research methods

Document analysis, systematic analysis, comparative analysis, logical - analytical and meta - analysis methods.

Results

The main objectives ofthe CITES Convention (The Official CITES Convention Text: https://cites.org/ eng/disc/text.php (Access date: 27.08.2022).

1. Monitoring and, where necessary, stopping international trade in endangered or potentially endangered species,

2. Preventing the exploitation of the ecological balance through international trade,

3. To assist Parties of the Convention to ensure the sustainable use of their biological resources.

The Scope of the Convention:

CITES is both a trade-related and a biodiversity conservation convention. CITES uses trade-related measures to achieve its conservation objective, which is to ensure that wildlife, both animals and plants, is not unsustainably exploited through international trade.

For many years CITES has been among the conservation agreements with the largest membership, with now 184 parties. Secretariat-based international structure of the CITES Convention is as follows (Figure 1; CITES, 2022).

Figure 1 Convention Body Structure

In advance of last year's seventeenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties further explored the nexus between CITES and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals. Thousands of species are internationally traded and used by people in their daily lives for food (bushmeat), housing, health care, ecotourism, cosmetics or fashion. The main challenge for CITES, within the broader framework of the Sustainable Development Goals, is to make species conservation and the promotion of prosperity mutually supportive (UN, 2022).

The CITES Authorities of Turkiye The CITES convention consists of three structures for each party. These structures are management, enforcement and scientific authorities. The CITES authorities of Turkiye are given under the following sub-headings.

Management Authorities The institutions that regulate CITES permits and documents are as follows.

Lead Management Authority: Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

Head Office (Coordination): General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks (NCNP).

Regional Offices: Nature Conservation and National Parks (NCNP) Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir and Antalya Departments for birds, mammals other than marine mammals, reptiles, amphibians and arthropods. Other Management Authorities Other institutions that issue specific CITES permits and certificates are as follows.

General Directorate of Forestry: Timber species and other forest products.

General Directorate of Plant Production: Live plants.

General Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture: Aquatic animal species.

Scientific Authority

The institutions working on CITES consult and receive the advice of the scientific authority on all scientific issues and for the rearrangement of the Appendix lists. Turkiye's Scientific Authority is TUBITAK.

TUBITAK: Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkiye.

Enforcement Authorities

Enforcement authorities are institutions that discourage, take measures and impose sanctions in case of detection of uses that are incompatible with the principles of the CITES Convention. They are also involved in international activities. Enforcement authorities are as follows.

Ministry of Trade: General Directorate of Customs, General Directorate of Imports.

Ministry of the Interior: General Directorate of Security-Department of Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime, Gendarmerie General CommandDepartment of Public Security, Coast Guard Command.

Turkiye liabilities in terms of CITES

The CITES Convention consists of 25 articles and 3 appendices. In order to fulfill the articles of the Convention, it is necessary to understand the liabilities very well. The prominent Convention liabilities for Turkiye are given in the Table 1.

Table 1

Preminent Liabilities of the CITES Convention

Prominent Commitments of the CITES

The Brief Description for Turkiye

* Penalizing the illegal trade or possesion:

Sanctions in domestic law.

* Confiscation, deportation:

Reimbursement procedure.

* Internal compensation for confiscation:

In these cases, the species should be tracked to prevent it from being illegally reintroduced.

* Preventing delays in the trade of samples, providing customs facilitation:

General Directorate of Customs for Ttirkiye provides all facilitating applications throughout the trade.

* Ensuring proper sanitary treatment during shipment of live specimens:

The regulations issued in this regard are sufficiently protective.

* Keeping records of the trade of specimens:

Number, quantity, type, names, size, sex.

* Periodic report on the Convention implementation:

It is a report that prioritizes cases such as certificate of eligibility and the seizure of a large number of illegal species.

* Annual report of specimen trading records:

Placed on the Conference of the Parties (CoP) agenda when deemed appropriate.

* Sending the live example to the secretariat or to an appropriate place determined by the Managing Authority:

For Ttirkiye, it is usually zoos or universities. Live examples are transferred for the scientific or the exhibition purposes.

* Making reports publicly available if it does not contradict the law:

This is regulated by the domestic law of each country.

* Extradition in the case of confiscation of live specimens:

It is very important under what conditions, whether it is animal food or live transport, whether there are preservation chemicals, etc.

* Establishing a conservation center for living specimens:

There are 11 rescue and rehabilitation centers for living specimens in Ttirkiye.

* Report every 2 years on legal and regulatory measures to implement the provisions of the Convention:

Such as notices sent by the Secretariat, all trade activities of three appendices of the Convention or the declaration of the trade suspensions.

In addition to existing liabilities, it is foreseen that these prominent commitments may change further in line with the consumption habits of developing countries and new protection measures to be developed. According to information obtained through interviews with experts from the Turkiye's management authorities (Face to face and written interviews with experts from the General Directorates of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry). Rather than extraditing illegally traded species, they may be captured and, used for scientific purposes or used in zoos. It is widely believed that when they are extradited, they are again subject to illegal trade.

However, there have also been species that have been returned to their countries of origin by Turkiye to demonstrate its commitment to the Convention. For example, 341 Grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus) were seized in Istanbul on January 9, 2018 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry employees who had been illegally imported from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The parrots seized in Ttirkiye were sent back to the Democratic Republic of Congo, free of charge, with the coordination of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and Turkish Airlines. This shows Ttirkiye's attitude towards illegal wildlife trade (Per, 2018). Wildlife trade in the Republic of Congo has been suspended due to illegal trade in the CITES Appendix 1 listed species (CITES Notification to the Parties, Democratic Republic of the Congo, https://cites.org/sites/default/files/notif/ENotif-2017-063.pdf (Access date: 01.08.2022).

CITES Transactions

Annually, over 1 million CITES permits and certificates are issued by Parties covering international wildlife trade estimated to be worth billions of dollars and to include hundreds of millions of plant and animal specimens. Trade ranges from live animals and plants, food products, exotic leather goods, wooden musical instruments, timber, tourist souvenirs, cosmetics and medicines to a wide range of wildlife products derived from them (Figure 2), (CITES, 2022). Conchs and shells from arthropods or molluscs in pinned displays are extensively sold as jewelry or souvenirs, while live animals can be used as tourist attractions for interaction in photography and sales opportunities (Osterberg and Nekaris, 2015).

All the trading activities should be legal, sustainable and traceable. For this reason, the permits obtained are the first step in ensuring this (CITES documents from the authorities). When a document is found to be damaged or falsified, the commercial activities are suspended. In this regard - as a personal observation - the fact that employees who are constantly checking documents are also detecting species causes a slowdown in the workflow.

According to the CITES Secretariat (2021) some animal and plant species have high levels of vulnerability to extinction and trade in them, together with other factors such as habitat loss, can greatly deplete populations and even drive some species close to extinction. Many traded wildlife species are not endangered, but the existence of an agreement to ensure the sustainability of trade is important to protect these resources in the future (The need for CITES (CITES, 2022) (Access date: 14.09.2022).

Figure 2 CITES permits between 1975-2018

With increasing perception of trophy hunting as ethically condemnable, dependent economies must explore alternatives, including tourism wherever possible. Whale hunting, for example, underwent a major shift to whale watching in many regions where hunting was previously a tradition (CisnerosMontemayor et. al., 2010). As the CITES Secretariat says; effectively regulating trade in wildlife products has great benefits for people, such as ensuring sustainable livelihoods, and protecting ecosystems and the vital services they provide.

Tourism and Biodiversity

Nature-based tourism represents a very important sub-sector of the global tourism industry (Weaver and Lawton 2007; Buckley et. al., 2008). The benefits of nature-based tourism to biodiversity conservation are often assumed but rarely measured. The relative value placed on the qualities of nature parks and the contribution of biodiversity to tourists' willingness to visit a particular protected area are not well known (Naidoo and Adamowicz, 2005).

According to the nature and wildlife area managers, the segment of nature tourism includes activities based on the natural attractions of an area. Examples include bird-watching, photography, hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, visiting parks and forest areas (Jim Lee, 2007). Educational tourism deals with the conciseness and awareness components of tourism. Nature-based tourism, especially forest tourism is one of the important forms of educational tourism. The main target of forest based educational tourism ensure understand and gather experience regarding the forest conservation with fulfill the educational requirements (Bhuiyan et. al, 2010). Also as the number of bird species increased, tourists showed an increased willingness to visit a protected area, independent of all other factors (Naidoo and Adamowicz, 2005).

Turkiye's Biodiversity-Flora

To appropriate Turkiye's wealth in flora species, a comparison with the continent of Europe will be sufficient: While there are 12.500 gymnospermous and angiospermous plant species in the entire continent of Europe, it is known that there are such species close to this number (about 11.707) in Anatolia alone, with one third of those are endemic to Turkiye.

Figure 3 Rescue and Rehabilitation Centers For Wildlife Protection (Figure Credit: Anadolu Agency)

According to current data from NCNP, there are currently 785 wild animals in Turkiye. 650 animal species are under protection, including 123 of 154 mammals, 386 of 490 birds and 141 of 141 reptiles.

In coordination with the CITES Convention, there are 11 rescue and rehabilitation centers across Turkiye (Fig. 1).

In the last 10 years, 38.631 wild animals have been treated and rehabilitated by NCNP in Turkiye and returned to their natural habitat (BiRiP, 2022).

Turkiye has 11.466 natural species, 3.649 endemic species (31.82 % endemic species ratio), 171 alien species and 70 agricultural species, totaling 11.707 flora. Hybrids are not included in this total (Guner et. al., 2012).

The CITES Species

Over 38.700 species - including roughly 5.950 species of animals and 32.800 species of plants are protected by CITES against over-exploitation through international trade. They are listed in the three CITES Appendices (See: https://cites.org/eng/ disc/species.php (Access date: 21.09.2022).

According to the CITES Appendices, as a grand total number of flora and fauna; there are 1.082 species and 36 subspecies in the Appendix 1, 37.420 species and 15 subspecies in the Appendix 2, and 211 species, 14 subspecies and 1 variety in the Appendix 3. In the scope of fauna there are mammals most in Appendix 1, birds most in Appendix 2, and reptiles most in Appendix 3. Only the number of flora species in appendix 2 (32.364) is greater than the sum of all appendices of fauna and flora species (CITES, 2022).

The General Directorate of Imports of the Ministry of Trade publishes the CITES Communique (species quotas) every three years in Turkiye.

TOrkiye's Legislation on CITES

Turkiye has done important work in terms of legislation and administrative structure. The Convention entered into the domestic law with the Regulation on the Implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora published in the Official Gazette dated 27.12.2001 and numbered 24623. This Regulation has been prepared on the basis of the CITES Convention, and approved by the Law on the Approval of the Accession to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and its Annexes dated 27/9/1994 and numbered 4041. The sanctions are provided through other laws. Turkiye is in the 1st category among the other parties of the Convention.

Although there is no specific legal regulation on the protection of tourism-related wildlife, it is possible to state that the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora is the most important legal regulation to control the movement of animals and plants between countries. The CITES Convention should be implemented at every single stage of nature-based touristic activities.

Bio-Smuggling and Tourism

Turkiye's extraordinary ecosystem with endemic species and habitat diversity has produced considerable genetic and species diversity. For this reason, the use of the beneficial results of genetic studies or biological studies for industrial purposes without sharing them with the source country raises the problem of biopiracy. However, with the domination tool nature of the concept, the ownership of biotechnological tools by multinational corporations through patenting in order to increase commodity production is defined as biopiracy (Reyhan, 2012). Therefore, the relationship between human and nature deepens between those who own such technologies and those who do not, expressing a new type of crime (Guler and Mutlu, 2018).

It has been determined that biotrafficking generates an annual income of 25 billion dollars in the world. This type of smuggling is carried out from developing countries lacking science and technology with rich biodiversity to countries developed in science and technology (Sumer, 2016). In order to prevent the export of biodiversity, i. e. genetic resources depending on species diversity, countries define their natural wealth and take the necessary measures by carrying out inventory procedures. In this respect, biodiversity awareness-detection is created at local or national level. In our country, the General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is one of the leading institutions that fulfill this function (Guler and Mutlu, 2018).

In fact, many developing countries are blessed with abundant wildlife assets, but these assets are also under multiple threats, including from poaching and smuggling and conflicts between people and wild animals. And if this precious wildlife is lost, so too is the tourism and the jobs and that goes with them. Wildlife is an asset to be cherished from many perspectives; aesthetic, scientific, cultural, recreational and economic; and these wildlife assets need to be continually nurtured and protected in order to grow their tourism potential. Well managed wildlife based tourism can serve to drive away poachers and smugglers and allow local people and national governments to develop their own natural resources - rather than have them plundered by illegal traders who exploit wildlife for a short term illicit profit putting money in the hands of organized criminals, often in distant lands, at the expense of local people, national economies and wildlife (CITES, 2022).

Combating Bio-Smuggling

The first case of nature smuggling in Turkiye is known as the smuggling of tulip bulbs to the Netherlands about 550 years ago. The tulips smuggled from the Ottoman Empire in those years became an important economic gain for the Netherlands and they started to sell these smuggled plants to the Ottoman Empire like many other countries (Dayioglu et. al., 2019).

Bio smuggling is primarily performed for material gain, and it results in a non negligible level of both direct and indirect harm on the ecological, esthetic, and cultural aspects of biodiversity (Ke^eli et al, 2013).

According to Dayioglu et. al. (2019), our biological wealth is smuggled abroad by three methods. Biologists working in research centers or companies come disguised as tourists to collect plant or animal species; they smuggle venom samples of snakes, butterflies, bees such as Bombus, rare birds such as hawks, hawks or their eggs.

Tourism authorities, collectors, museum directors, international scientific researchers, pet shops, authorities using plant and animal parts in clothing, medicines and cosmetics should pay attention to whether these species are endangered or not and whether they have been imported into the country with a CITES certificate. According to the Interpol researches; trafficking (illegal trade) in wildlife and their parts is estimated to be worth up to $20 billion per year (UNEP-INTERPOL Report: The Rise of Environmental Crime).Wild flora and fauna are tend to be overexploited by criminals through the entire supply chain, from processing and selling to transportation and poaching. Other illegal wildlife activities are often associated with wildlife crimes, including money laundering, corruption and document fraud. In this regard as it is seen in Figure 4; Turkiye is not yet involved to the ICCWC ICCWC:

The International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC: The International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime) global network (INTERPOL, 2022).

However, when the genetic resource is transformed into a product or process with the help of science and technology, it falls within the scope of intellectual property rights. The country that provides the genetic resource must secure its rights when providing the resource, otherwise it loses its rights over the resource (Guler and Mutlu, 2018). Therefore, it is essential to work in coordination with international consortiums such as the ICCWC.

CITES and Tourism

Wildlife is known to live most densely in forest ecosystems. Nature-based tourism constitutes a very important sub-sector of the world tourism industry (Weaver and Lawton 2007; Buckley et. al. 2008). The rapid increase in forest tourism is generating significant revenues and boosting the regional economy near forest parks. However, the large number of forest visitors has put enormous pressure on natural resources. Tourism facilities built inside the protected areas contaminate the water, and degrade the biological integrity. Under the circumstances of a lack of adequate legislation and governance by various organizations, forest tourism is in a dilemma as to how to improve it in a way that is sustainable and supports the local economy (Chen and Nakama, 2013).

Wildlife tourism can accumulate educational and socio-developmental benefits as infrastructure builds around tourism activities (Macfie and Williamson, 2010).

Figure 4 The Global Picture of Combating the Wildlife Crime

Emphasizing that tourism is an important source of revenue for conservation efforts and protecting the natural environment are key to ensuring that destinations remain attractive for wildlife tourism. With the world's wildlife facing unprecedented threats, digital technologies are being deployed to protect animals and their habitats in innovative ways. From tracking populations and raising public awareness to monitoring illegal wildlife trade, information and communications technologies can help to maintain healthy ecosystems for species to survive and thrive (General Assembly, 2022).

The CITES Convention and Tourism strengthen sustainability together because:

• It's a protection convention.

• Species are controlled upon entry into the Countries.

• When biodiversity is protected, the tourism value of countries increases and the employment is ensures.

• Effective implementation of the convention by the parties in terms of protection of natural areas and ecotourism will protect wild animals, plants and habitats. Therefore, CITES is a convention that contributes to tourism and ecotourism in terms of on-site protection.

Human Pressure on Wildlife

While the poaching of several species has continued during the lockdown (Cherkaoui et al., 2020). A recent report found that the illegal wildlife trade had been severely disrupted by movement and travel restrictions in Morocco (Cherkaoui pers. Obs). Many animals that were freed from human pressure during the corona pandemic have reappeared in Turkiye. As an example, the Anatolian Leopard (Panthera pardus tulliana Valenciennes 1856) has appeared first time in years (Ba§kaya et. al., 2022). In addition, fallow deer and roe deer, which have forgotten human pressure, have started to be seen in the foothills of the mountains where people are present in the Antalya region.

While the emergence of wild animals in cities around the world has led some internet commentators to declare that the Earth is undergoing a recovery, environmentalists say the influx is only the result of a temporary slowdown in human activities, not the start of a major rewilding episode (Davidson, 2020).

The main reasons for wildlife protection and conservation are listed below (Muloin, 1998; UNWTO, 2022; Tapper, 2006);

• Biodiversity: In nature, different species are connected through various food webs. The disappearance of one species could influence several others down the line.

• Agriculture: Promoting wildlife conservation could help secure future food supplies.

• Research: There may be many undiscovered plants and animals in the wild. 50 percent of the drugs available in the United States were originally developed from microbial organisms, plants, and animals.

• Economics of Eco-Services: It's proven that ecosystem activities have an effect on the quantity and quality of fresh water accessible to humans.

• Ecotourism: For example, enjoying African ecosystems has been a tremendous stimulus for economies within Africa.

• Environmental Indicators: Various animals can serve as indicators for other environmental problems is one of the rarely discussed benefits of wildlife conservation. The loss of peregrine falcons and bald eagles was one of the factors that alerted scientists to the toxicity of DDT (DDT: Dichloro Diphenyl Trichloroethane. It is a very toxic and persistent insecticide), unnoticed for longer in a less diverse ecosystem.

• Education: Studying animals and their habitats can be a valuable learning experience for students of all ages.

• Psychological Benefits: Eco-tourists experience a tremendous sense of wonder, contentment, and fulfillment from their wildlife encounters.

Indeed Buckley (2012) states that the impact of rare animals used as souvenirs remains one of the least studied areas of research into sustainable tourism. Despite Buckley's correct assessment and approach, these effects are still not fully explored today.

According to the information from UNEP (2019) issued brochure, it is stated that, over the 10 million CITES trade transactions reported by Parties in the last decade, 78 % involve fauna (animals), and 22 % flora (plants).

Conclusions

CITES is not just a trade convention; it should also consider the circulation of many natural resources around the world and their impact on ecological processes.

International tourists should be informed about the types of illegal products available for sale during their travels and they should be encouraged to make conscious consumer choices. Wild fauna and flora listed under CITES and illegally obtained are part of the types of products that tourists should not buy.

Wildlife based tourism can also serve as an incentive to help achieve harmony between local people and wildlife, especially where local people are deriving their livelihoods from this tourism.

It can be a win-win-win situation. But it needs to be managed carefully and sustainably and with benefits accruing to the local people who are living amongst wildlife.

Some countries in the world that regularly reporting their illegal trade and wildlife trading activities have received awards by the Depository Government (Depository Government: The CITES Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland. See: https://cites.org/eng/search?search_api_fulltext=award, (Access date: 20.08.2022) The absence of a university unit or multiple independent academic office/commission within Turkiye's scientific authorities, affects the speed and accuracy of decision-making on this issue.

Tourism-Focused Solution

The main suggestions for solutions for both more sustainable tourism and maintaining the objectives of the CITES Convention are listed below:

• Countries should implement border controls and measures to prevent illegal wildlife trafficking.

• Regional and international coordination, through early detection systems and controls, is essential to prevent bio-smuggling.

• The existing capacity of the relevant state institutions should be strengthened, new structures should be established and relevant experts should be assigned to these units.

• National legislation, policies and legal sanctions should be strong in order to control wildlife trafficking and reduce the damage.

• The provisions of the CITES Convention should be effectively implemented.

• It is important for the future of mankind to be careful about the excessive and uncontrolled use of wild animals and plants.

• Tourism academics should start turning their attention to how the psychology and emotional dynamics of environmental distress influences tourists' decision-making and experiences, particularly in relation to sustainable wildlife tourism.

• Improving the quality of training provided to tour agencies and ensuring high local involvement in touristic areas. Creating public awareness with a large number of educational signage in these areas.

References

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