Intense lobbying paid off for local conservation activists at a recent conference of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) in Bangkok.
As advocated by the World Wide Fund for Nature Hong Kong (WWF Hong Kong) and global wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC East Asia, the critically endangered yellow-crested cockatoo, which can be found on Hong Kong Island, has been upgraded to Cites Appendix I, which means all trade in the species is banned.
The humphead wrasse, the great white shark, Asian fresh water turtles and wild plants agarwood and desert-living cistanche have all been added to Appendix II, which means import and export licences are required for them.
Hong Kong is the major importing and consuming centre of the humphead wrasse and WWF Hong Kong has allocated a lot of resources to protect the species.
'The humphead wrasse is a popular luxury item in restaurants in Hong Kong and China, and the trade - both legal and illegal - has become unsustainable,' said WWF Hong Kong assistant conservation officer Clarus Chu Ping-shing, who attended the conference.
'These fish grow slowly and are often caught when they are young, before they have had the chance to reproduce.'