Leopard (Panthera pardus) conservation has a strong international dimension. Hunting trophy export quotas established for African range states under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) are a case in point. We test these quotas, and the methods for their establishment, against the benchmark of the general principles of precaution, sustainable use and adaptive management. The various national approaches and the CITES regime condoning them largely fail this test. For decades, CITES bodies have endorsed apparently arbitrary quotas lacking robust scientific bases, without regular adjustment. Thus, the quotas have been inadequately performing their assigned function within the Convention’s framework. The way in which the CITES leopard quota regime has been operating is fundamentally at odds with the principles of sustainable use, precaution and adaptive management. To remedy this, we offer recommendations on how to embed a science-based, sustainable, precautionary and adaptive approach to quota-setting within the CITES system.

中文翻译：

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参差不齐的数据：在不确定性中管理国际豹（Panthera pardus）奖杯狩猎配额

豹（豹）保护具有很强的国际影响力。一个典型的例子就是根据《濒危物种国际贸易公约》（CITES）为非洲范围国家建立的狩猎奖杯出口配额。我们以预防，可持续利用和适应性管理的一般原则为基准，测试了这些配额及其建立方法。允许他们采用的各种国家方法和CITES制度在很大程度上未能通过该测试。数十年来，CITES机构认可了显然缺乏科学依据的任意配额，没有定期调整。因此，配额在公约框架内未能充分发挥其分配的职能。《濒危野生动植物种国际贸易公约》（CITES）豹子配额制度的运作方式与可持续利用原则基本背道而驰，预防和适应性管理。为了解决这个问题，我们就如何在CITES系统中嵌入基于科学，可持续，预防性和适应性的配额设置方法提供了建议。