ABSTRACT
In late 1999 Germany proposed that the Southern African medicinal herb devil’s claw be listed on Appendix II of CITES. Range states (Namibia, Botswana and South Africa) opposed the listing, which was consequently withdrawn to allow further research. Despite range-state opposition and NGO protest, the CITES proposal had immediate and measurable short-term impacts (some of which are likely to have medium-or long-term effects). This chapter examines such impacts on trade volumes, rural incomes, research commitments, perceptions of commercial risk and efforts to replace wild-harvesting with commercial cultivation.
