Guest Article #18: CITES at 40 Marks a Major Decision Point for Sharks, Trees, Snakes, Turtles and other Wildlife Species [viewed]
CITES at 40 Marks a Major Decision Point for Sharks, Trees, Snakes, Turtles and other Wildlife Species: Guidelines, toolkits, standards and action plans fostering capacity, financing, law enforcement, livelihoods, science, sustainability, traceability and synergies also adopted
The 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP16) held March 2013 in Bangkok, will be remembered as a defining moment in the 40 year history of the Convention.
22 April 2013: The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is providing a US$72 million loan to the Brazilian state of Acre to promote sustainable forestry and agroforestry to keep deforestation in check while contributing to economic growth and poverty reduction. 
April 2013: The Climate Investment Funds (CIF) is calling for proposals to enhance the involvement of the private sector under the Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR) and the Forest Investment Program (FIP).
13 March 2013: The eighth edition of the Inter-American Development Bank's (IDB) Sustainability Report indicates that, during the fiscal year 2012, the Bank surpassed its 2015 target of committing over one-fourth of its lending to projects dealing with climate change, sustainable energy and environmental sustainability. 
12 March 2013: The International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) held a training session for wildlife law enforcement officials from across Asia. The training, which focused on investigative techniques, took place on the sidelines of the sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP 16). 
11 March 2013: A three-day symposium organized by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on the sidelines of the sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) brought together senior justices, Attorney Generals, prosecutors, wildlife and environment police, customs officers and government enforcement experts to identify actions to address wildlife crime in Asia. 
12 December 2012: The Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE), the executor of the Central American Markets for Biodiversity (CAMBio) project funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), recognized six Honduran financial institutions for providing credit to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMMEs) contributing to biodiversity conservation. 
