[MPWG] Public Input: CITES 14th Conference of Parties

[Patricia_DeAngelis at fws.gov]

The fourteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES (CoP14) 
will be held in The Hague, Netherland, June 3-15, 2007. 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wishes to inform the public about the 
proposed 
resolutions, decisions, and agenda items that the United States is 
considering 
submitting for consideration at CoP14; describe proposed amendments to the 

CITES Appendices (species proposals) that the United States is considering 
submitting
for consideration at CoP14; invite your comments and information on these
proposals; announce a public meeting to discuss these proposals; and 
provide
information on how non-governmental organizations based in the United 
States
can attend CoP14 as observers.

The following pertains specifically to native plant species:

Proposal which the United States is likely to submit:
1. Taxus cuspidata—Annotate to 
exclude specimens of the hybrid Taxus
x media and all cultivars thereof. 

Proposals which the United States is still undecided, pending
additional information and consultations:
1. Dehesa bear-grass (Nolina
interrata)—Transfer from Appendix I to
Appendix II.
2. Arizona agave or New River agave
(Agave arizonica)—Transfer from
Appendix I to Appendix II.
3. Santa Cruz striped agave (Agave
parviflora)—Transfer from Appendix I
to Appendix II.
4. Oconee bells (Shortia galacifolia)—
Remove from Appendix II.

DATES: The public meeting will be held on December 11, 2006, at 1:30 p.m. 
in the
Rachel Carson Room, in the Department of the Interior at 18th and C 
Streets,
NW., Washington, DC. 

Comments concerning potential species proposals, and proposed resolutions, 

decisions, and agenda items that the United States is considering 
submitting for
consideration at CoP14, and other items relating to CoP14, are requested 
by
December 22, 2006.

For details on the above information, see the full notice at: 
<http://www.fws.gov/policy/library/E6-18722.pdf>

For more information on CITES, see "CITES in a nutshell," below.

Patricia S. De Angelis, Ph.D.
Botanist - Division of Scientific Authority
Chair - Plant Conservation Alliance - Medicinal Plant Working Group
US Fish & Wildlife Service
4401 N. Fairfax Dr., Suite 750
Arlington, VA  22203
703-358-1708 x1753
FAX: 703-358-2276
Working for the conservation and sustainable use of our green natural 
resources.
<www.nps.gov/plants/medicinal>

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CITES in a nutshell

WHAT IS CITES?
>>CITES is a treaty that aims to ensure that international trade in animal
and plant species is not detrimental to the survival of wild populations. 
This 
is accomplished through a system of permits.  The treaty entered into 
force in 1975. 
The CITES web address is: <www.cites.org>.

ABOUT THE PARTIES...
>>Currently, CITES includes 169 members, including most of the U.N.-
recognized nations of the world.  To see a list of the member countries, 
go to: <http://www.cites.org/eng/disc/parties/index.shtml>.

>>In the United States, CITES is administered by the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife
Service in coordination other agencies, such as the U.S. Department of
Agriculture.  For more information, see: <
http://www.fws.gov/international/wwa.html>.

>>The CITES world is divided into six regions: Africa, Asia, Central and
South America and the Caribbean, Europe, North American, and Oceania.  The
United States is part of the North American Region, which also includes
Canada and Mexico.  See <http://www.cites.org/eng/disc/AC_PC.shtml#dir>.

>>CITES convenes several international meetings in orderto execute the 
treaty, including:

The Conference of the Parties (CoP) - Until CoP13, these meeting were held
every two years.  The time between CoPs has been changed to every three 
years.
Representatives from all 169 Parties may participate in this meeting.  For 
more 
on previous CoPs (agendas, species proposals),
http://www.cites.org/eng/cop/index.shtml.

The Plants Committee - Held annually, this meeting is attended by
representatives from each region represented in CITES.  Currently, the
United States is the North American regional representative, with Canada 
as
the alternate.  See <http://www.cites.org/eng/com/PC/member.shtml>.

The Animals Committee - Held annually, this meeting is attended by
representatives from each region represented in CITES.  Currently, Mexico
is the North American regional representative, and the United States is 
the
alternate.  See: <http://www.cites.org/eng/com/AC/member.shtml>.

The Standing Committee - Meetings are held as needed.  Currently, Canada 
is
the North American regional representative, and Mexico is the alternate.
See: <http://www.cites.org/eng/com/SC/member.shtml>.

ABOUT THE SPECIES...
>>Under CITES, species may be listed on one of 3 appendices, each
conferring a different level of regulation, with the most stringent
controls for Appendix I species.  Species listed on Appendix I are
threatened with extinction and trade is permitted only under strict
circumstances.  Species listed on Appendix II are impacted by trade at a
level that requires monitoring in order to avoid threats to extinction.
Appendix III listings essentially provides a monitoring system that allows
countries to enlist assistance of international trading partners to better
understand the level of trade in those species.  For more information on
the CITES appendices, see: <http://www.cites.org/eng/disc/how.shtml>.

>>Permits are required for species that are listed on any of the three
CITES appendices.  For more on permits, see: <http://www.fws.gov/permits/
>.

HOW MANY SPECIES ARE LISTED?
>>Current totals for U.S. native species listed on CITES are: 658 plants
and 845 animals.  Several U.S.-native medicinal plants are listed on 
CITES,
including goldenseal, American ginseng and the entire orchid family.  To 
find 
out more about these species, go to the CITES-listed species database at: 
<http://www.cites.org/eng/resources/species.html>.

HOW DO I FIND OUT WHAT IS LISTED ON CITES?
>>You can search the CITES database two ways: by name or by country.

To search by name (scientific name or common name):
     Start at the CITES species datase page: <
http://www.cites.org/eng/resources/species.html>.
     Under the "Search by name" column, select "Genus."
     Type the Genus of the plant of interest and hit enter.
                You have another opportunity to select information for 
only one country. 
        To see information on all countries, click on "Display Results" at 
the bottom of the screen.
                You'll see a list of all species in the genus of interest.
      Click on the species of interest.
      Click on any of the tabs above the species entry to get more 
information on the species.

To search by country (i.e. for species that are native to the United 
States):
     Start at the CITES species datase page: <
http://www.cites.org/eng/resources/species.html>.
     Under the column "Search by country", there is a pull-down menu.
           Select United States and click on "Go"
        You will see a tabular summary of the number of listed animals and 
plants native to the United States.
        Click on any of the appendices or click on the link below each 
table to get a full list of all the species that are listed.
        Click on any species entry to see information for that species.

HOW CAN I LEARN MORE ABOUT CITES?
>>CITES World - biennial newsletter of CITES.  You can view issues dating
back to 1999 at: <http://www.cites.org/eng/news/newsletter.shtml>.

Highlights from previous issues that may be of interest to you:
     Issue 16 (Dec 2005) - U.S. procedures for handling confiscated 
species
     Issue 15 (July 2005) - U.S. and the Lacey Act
     Issue 14 (Dec 2004) - Accessing CITES trade data

>>Endangered Species Bulletin - The September 2005 issues of the 
Endangered
Species bulletin focused wholly on CITES.  You can view this issue at: <
http://www.fws.gov/endangered/esb/2005/ESB09-05.pdf>.

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