CITES Chief Commends Ethiopia’s Leadership in Protecting Wildlife and Combating Illegal Trade

Addis Ababa, July 21, 2026 (FMC) — Ethiopia’s growing role in global wildlife conservation has drawn fresh international recognition, with the head of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) citing the country as an increasingly influential partner in protecting endangered species, combating illicit wildlife trade and advancing cross-border conservation cooperation.

Delivering a recorded message during the 60th anniversary of the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority (EWCA), CITES Secretary-General Ivonne Higuero said Ethiopia has steadily expanded its contribution to global conservation efforts since joining the convention in 1989, with EWCA playing a sustained role in shaping international initiatives over the past three decades.

She said the authority has gone beyond managing protected areas, evolving into a key institution supporting international efforts to conserve endangered species, strengthen enforcement against illegal wildlife trafficking and promote science-based conservation.

Among the milestones she highlighted were Ethiopia’s implementation of the CITES Indicator Framework in 2024, its contribution to the CITES Rhinoceros Task Force in 2025, hosting of the Global Cheetah Summit in 2024 and the Global Wildlife Program Annual Conference in Addis Ababa in 2025.

Higuero also described Ethiopia as an important contributor to global elephant conservation through its participation in the Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) programme. Information generated from Babile Elephant Sanctuary, Kafta Shiraro National Park and the newly designated Gambela National Park, she said, has helped strengthen conservation planning and policy decisions well beyond Ethiopia’s borders.

She credited these achievements to the sustained efforts of EWCA’s leadership, researchers, rangers and local communities, saying their work has helped safeguard one of Africa’s richest biodiversity landscapes, home to iconic wildlife and numerous endemic species found nowhere else.

Looking ahead, the CITES Secretary-General said the challenges confronting wildlife and ecosystems are becoming increasingly complex, making stronger international partnerships, scientific cooperation and coordinated conservation action more critical than ever. She reaffirmed the convention’s commitment to deepening its partnership with Ethiopia as both sides pursue shared biodiversity and sustainable development goals.

The event also heard from Dr. Vivek Menon, Chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC), who described Ethiopia as one of the world’s oldest custodians of nature, arguing that the country’s conservation legacy stretches back centuries before the emergence of modern environmental institutions.

Drawing parallels between Ethiopia and India, Dr. Menon said both ancient civilizations embraced conservation long before contemporary protected-area models were established, citing Emperor Zera Yacob’s historic protection of the Menagesha-Suba Forest as an early example of environmental stewardship.

He stressed that species—not simply landscapes or protected areas—lie at the heart of conservation, noting that biodiversity is what gives ecosystems their ecological value and resilience.

Reaffirming the IUCN SSC’s readiness to support Ethiopia, Dr. Menon called for greater participation of Ethiopian scientists in the commission’s global network of species experts and announced plans to work with EWCA to establish a national species specialist group that would strengthen research, collaboration and conservation leadership in the country.

Together, the two international conservation leaders portrayed Ethiopia not only as a country rich in wildlife and biodiversity, but as an increasingly influential contributor to the global effort to protect nature through science, international cooperation and long-term institutional commitment.