TNAG-0470-FCO40-535-Legislation-for-protection-of-wild-life-in-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 39

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countries have now signed the convention and so far

5 have ratified it. You will find a copy of the

Convention text (Cmnd 5459) attached.

2.

mature

As you will appreciate, the issue of another

conservation and the protection of threatened

and endangered species is a matter of considerable

concern in the United Kingdom and we are under

very substantial public and political pressure to

procede rapidly to ratification of the Convention.

A

The existing United Kingdom legislation would be

sufficient to enable us to ratify the Convention

but the existing powers are fragmented and partly

because of pressures from conservationists, the

Government intends to introduce a Bill, which will

'

be talofred to meet the Conventions requirements

early in this session.

3. There was a clear understanding at the time

of negotiation of the Convention that to the

maximum extent possible it should be extended to For apply in all

conpay that territories which are contracting

parties

Territoriee have responsibility.

Unfortunately

)

however, the conference was not willing to include

a territorial application clause. The effect of

Know

the absence of such a clause as you will kno from

recent circulars from other Conventions is that

there are difficulties in the way of "adding" territories

once our ratifications have been deposited. Given

hole

these facts it will be much help if at all possible,

the

}

to include all Dependant Territories in, declaration

*

of territorial application embodied in our instrument

of ratification. We shall be most reluctant to

accept any but the strongest and most compelling

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