Society for Conservation Biology

Challender, D. W. S., Iflankoy, C. K. M. L., Mouafo, A. D. T., Simo, F. T., Ullmann, T., & Shirley, M. H. (2025). Overemphasis on top-down conservation of pangolins in CITES. Conservation Science and Practice, 7(10), e70162. https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70162

Emogor et al. (2024) respond to our article (Challender et al., 2024) and emphasize that sustainability assessments for pangolins should precede any interventions promoting the hunting and consumptive use of these species. In short, Emogor et al. agree with us that, under appropriate conditions, the sustainable use of pangolins could be a future policy option in West and/or Central Africa. These conditions include ensuring that any offtake is demonstrably ecologically sustainable and legal, and that appropriate governance arrangements are in place, recognizing that pangolins are extracted for their scales and meat (Xi et al., 2025). Both articles agree on the need to fill key knowledge gaps on pangolins, their populations, and ecology to inform the development of such interventions. Positively, new knowledge of pangolins is being generated frequently (e.g., Challender et al., 2020; Heighton & Gaubert, 2021; Simo et al., 2023). CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) Res. Conf. 17.10 (Rev. CoP19) also urges pangolin range countries to implement in situ conservation and management programs for the species (e.g., population assessments) though few countries are doing this in practice (CITES, 2022, 2025). In their response, Emogor et al. (2024) helpfully elaborate on points made explicitly or implicitly in Challender et al. (2024).