Juliet Eilperin
Source: The Washington Post
March 22, 2010

Doha, Qatar - Delegates at a global wildlife conservation conference voted Sunday to protect a coveted salamander but rejected a more sweeping proposal that would have regulated the trade of red and pink corals worldwide.

The latest round of voting at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) underscored nations' unwillingness to forgo immediate economic gains from exploiting natural resources, even when these activities are putting plants and animals under intense pressure.

The 175 nations gathered in Doha, Qatar, unanimously voted to ban the international trade of Kaiser's spotted newt, a black and brown Iranian salamander often sought as a pet. According to the World Wildlife Fund, about 1,000 of the animals are left, and about 200 are traded each year. A Web site operated out of Ukraine serves as the main vehicle for the transactions; the measure makes it the first species threatened by electronic commerce to receive environmental protection.

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