Incentivizing pangolin conservation: Decisions at CITES CoP19 may reduce conservation options for pangolins

The policy direction for pangolins in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is increasingly prohibitionist but may be suboptimal for conserving the species. Effective pangolin conservation requires critical consideration of diverse and adaptive management approaches, which consider incentives for key actors, potentially including the sustainable use and domestic trade of white‐ and/or black‐bellied pangolins. Restricting potential policy options for pangolins in CITES may obstruct optimal national policies by removing a potential tool from the toolbox, one that could favor pangolin conservation and not their overexploitation.