In the future, strict rules will apply to the trade in certain water frogs. They are caught primarily for the sale of frog legs, which some people consider a delicacy. The responsible commission of the World Species Conference (Cites) has decided to add four species to protection lists. The decision must be confirmed in plenary at the end of the conference.
The applicants argued that the international trade in frog legs poses a threat, especially to the European market. According to the organization Pro Wildlife, the EU is the world’s largest importer of frog legs. The organization therefore welcomes the decision to restrict trade. “This is a huge success that we are celebrating very much,” said Sandra Altherr. According to her, the listing is intended to “stop the overexploitation of water frogs from Turkey, Albania and Azerbaijan in the future.”
Inka Gnittke from the head of the German delegation in Samarkand also saw the EU as a consumer and destination of trade as having responsibility in the run-up to the conference. The rules for the protection of water frogs should apply with a delay from mid-2027.
The Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Endangered Species (Cites) regulates global trade in endangered species. The aim is to ensure their survival. So far, trade in more than 40,000 animal and plant species has been restricted or banned. Since Monday, the contracting states have been fighting over rules in the Uzbek city of Samarkand in Central Asia.