ABSTRACT
Over the last several years, Zimbabwe's attitude toward, and behaviour regarding, CITES has changed dramatically. A member since 1983 and brought into the debate by its opposition to the listing of the African elephant as an endangered species, Zimbabwe has emerged as a leader at the international level in promoting a sustainable-use paradigm within the CITES regime. The portrait of Zimbabwe's involvement painted in this chapter shows that multilateral agreements can be influenced significantly by Parties which feel unjustly treated, no matter how small these Parties may be in economic terms. Zimbabwe's approach to CITES has evolved from a position of angry protest, with threats of withdrawal, to the assumption of a leadership role, actively working within the CITES system to alter the nature and strategies of the organization. These efforts to initiate changes in regime procedures and principles have the potential to influence the future of CITES in far more permanent ways than the more visible and politically charged battles over individual species.
