SEA CUCUMBER

26th November, 2022 Environment

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Context: CITES COP19 lists sea cucumbers as ‘threatened’. The 19th Conference of Parties (COP19) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in Panama City has accepted a proposal to include sea cucumbers in Appendix II of the Convention.

Details:

COP19 decided to include the genus Thelenotain the category, which classifies that the species is not facing the threat of extinction. However, its trade must be regulated to avoid exploitation that will become incompatible to its survival.
The European Union, the Seychelles and the United States proposed three species under Thelenotato be included in Appendix II.
The proposal was initiated by France.
The country stressed the need to protect sea cucumbers, citing their role in marine ecosystems. Sea cucumbers perform the same role on the seabed that earthworms perform on land.
The statement mentions that China, the largest market for the animal, opposed the proposal. However, countries like Russia, which has experienced losses due to the plundering of other sea cucumber species, pitched in favour of the proposal.
An analysis published by the Wildlife Conservation Society-India (WCS-India) this September showed that sea cucumberswere the most frequently trafficked marine species in India from 2015-2021.
Tamil Nadu had recorded the highest number of marine wildlife seizures during this period, according to the analysis. The state was followed by Maharashtra, Lakshadweep and Karnataka.

About:

It is a banned marine species.
Sea cucumbers are in high demand in China and Southeast Asia.
Sea cucumber in India is treated as an endangered species listed under schedule I of Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
It is primarily smuggled from Tamil Nadu to Sri Lanka.