Part V Subject Matter, Ch.32 Wildlife

Abstract

This chapter details the themes and principles that shape international wildlife law. International wildlife law shares attributes with other fields of international environmental law, but also has certain particular attributes. In particular, the degree to which treaties affecting wildlife conservation impose strict or flexible obligations on their member states is often a product of a variety of factors, for example: how specific the scope of the treaty is, whether the treaty primarily focuses on individual species or on ecosystem and habitat protection, and whether the treaty targets primarily domestic or primarily international activities or species. The chapter then discusses certain international regimes that focus on particular species, before considering examples of ecosystem-based regimes and regimes with a more regional focus. It also looks at the most significant issues facing global wildlife conservation.