Introduction

The growth and development of most scientific and artistic disciplines can be traced back through history and spans centuries or even millenia. The development of conservation, a subject largely based on scientific as well as ethical principles is still in its infancy, having only commanded serious academic attention in recent decades. There are now several international wildlife treaties and conventions and fortunately for both professionals and non-professionals interested in the subject the current status and legal background have been brought together by Lyster (1985), to whom much of the foregoing information is attributable.

Control on international trade in wildlife, its products and derivatives is not a recent concept. Initial public demand for such controls was made as early as 1911 by the Swiss conservationist, Paul Sarasen, who claimed that the vogue for plumed hats was having a serious effect on populations of wild birds. Sarasen was one of the most influential figures behind the establishment of the Consultative Commission for the International Protection of Nature at Berne in 1913, which had delegates from seventeen European countries. The progress of the Commission was halted by the outbreak of War and it was not until the late 1940s when the foundation of a similar international body was under discussion, that the Commission had any legal existence. Furthermore it set a precedent, being the first intergovernmental agency concerned with nature protection (Boardman 1981).