Quota Systems in International Wildlife and Fisheries Regimes

Abstract

While the global environment faces increasing pressure on its living resources, total bans on exploitation may not always provide a practical or preferable solution for their protection. This is especially true for international fisheries and wildlife such as leopards and elephants. In this context, quotas have arisen as a compromise between protection and unbridled exploitation. They seek to ensure the sustainable utilization of threatened resources. Wildlife quotas, adopted largely through the CITES regime, restrict the rights of countries to trade internationally threatened national resources. Internationalfisheries quotas limit the right to exploit national and open access resources. Quotas have, however, led to mixed results. Yet the distinction must be made between thefailure of a quota per se and the failure of an environmental protection regime through which quotas are implemented. If the correct conditions exist, including accurate determination, enforcement, and international cooperation, quotas can still provide a valu able tool for environmental management.