[PCA] Stay up to date on the upcoming CITES Conference of the Parties (March 2013, Thailand)

Thu Feb 14 10:06:27 CST 2013

Dear Plant Conservation Alliance and Medicinal Plant Working Group Members:

Every 2-3 years, the signatories to the Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) meet to make species
listing decisions, guide implementation, and to determine the focal areas
that the CITES Parties and Technical Committees will undertake until the
next CoP. The 16th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP16) to
CITES is right around the corner; and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service has launched a new
website<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001rBDvj8k6Q4RcQpzj4LgGBeF8fftoxgwD9J0zP1Pcq4YUGXBLr900ctSEa2diRhN-TIeDudxR_eEXD3ieSS61IyeliASshZ5h4VvXVCvi6KvfaPbCc2Mk1qVU7q2I1HyCELeMMVpS0KQVXAJLVSxCoYekm9G9UVpf>
 to provide comprehensive and up-to-date information. The new site includes
the U.S. proposals to CoP16 and also offers background information on
species that the United States has proposed for listing.

Many listing and management decisions regarding plants are on this year's
agenda.  Species that will be discussed include:

Several medicinal or non-timber forest product plants, including
ginseng (*Panax ginseng *and *Panax quinquefolius*)
hoodia (*Hoodia *spp.)
agarwood-producing species (*Aquilaria and* *Gyrinops* species)
*
*
Timber species, including
*Cedrela odorata, Dalbergia retusa, Dalbergia granadillo *and *Dalbergia
stevensonii*
Several species of rosewood (*Dalbergia *spp.): all Madagascan
populations, Thai rosewood, Brazilian rosewood, black rosewood, granadillo
rosewood, and Honduras rosewood
Madagascan ebony populations (*Diospyros*)
East African sandalwood (*Osyris lanceolata*)

Ornamental plants, including
Seven Madagascan succulents in the genera *Adenia,
Cyphostemma, Operculicarya, Senna, *and *Uncarina*
Queretero yucca

Plants to be removed from the Appendices include
Several bromeliads in the genus *Tillandsia*
Two native species of *Dudleya*

*During CoP16, visit the FWS site to access press releases, blog posts, and
social media feeds.  Be sure to bookmark the FWS CoP16
website<http://www.fws.gov/international/cites/cop16/index.html>
, so that you can follow all of the latest news from Thailand. *

For a primer on CITES in the U.S. and abroad, please see the information
pasted below.  Full details on the entire agenda for the meeting are posted
to the CITES website at: http://www.cites.org/eng/cop/16/doc/index.php and
species proposals can be found here:
http://www.cites.org/eng/cop/16/prop/index.php

-Patricia

Patricia S. De Angelis, Ph.D.
Botanist, Division of Scientific Authority-US Fish & Wildlife
Service-International Affairs
Chair, Medicinal Plant Working Group-Plant Conservation Alliance
4401 N. Fairfax Dr., Suite 110
Arlington, VA  22203
703-358-1708 x1753
FAX: 703-358-2276

Promoting sustainable use and conservation of our native medicinal plants.
<www.nps.gov/plants/medicinal>

Follow International Affairs
> on Twitter  http://twitter.com/USFWSInternatl
> on Facebook   http://www.facebook.com/USFWS_InternationalAffairs

************************************

*CITES in a nutshell**

* *

*ABOUT CITES…***

>>CITES is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species that
entered into force in 1975.  The aim of the Convention is to ensure that
international trade of CITES-listed animal and plant species is not
detrimental to the survival of wild populations.  Trade is regulated
through a system of permits used by every signatory to CITES.  The
Secretariat of CITES is administered by the United Nations Environment
Program.  Click here to explore the international CITES
website<http://www.cites.org/eng/disc/AC_PC.php>

*CITES PARTIES:***

>>There are currently 177 Parties (member countries) to CITES.  The United
States was the first signatory to CITES in 1975, and Bahrain and the
Maldives are the latest countries to join (in 2012 and 2013, respectively).
 Click here for the full list of the
Parties<http://www.cites.org/eng/disc/parties/index.php>

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.  Click here for more information on the CITES
Regions<http://www.cites.org/eng/disc/ac_pc.php>

In the United States, CITES is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (FWS), under the International Wildlife Trade Program, in
coordination other agencies, such as the National Marine Fisheries Service
and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  Click here for more information on
CITES in the United States <http://www.fws.gov/international/cites/>

*CITES MEETINGS:***

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

*The Conference of the Parties (CoP) *– These meetings are held every two
to three years.  Decisions, Resolutions and species listings are discussed
and voted on at CoPs.  Representatives from all Parties may participate in
this meeting.  Click here to view CoP Proceedings or summary records are
available online going back to 1992 <http://www.cites.org/eng/cop/index.php>

*The next meeting, CoP16, will be held in Bangkok, Thailand, 3-14 March
2013.**  *The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has launched a new
website<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001rBDvj8k6Q4RcQpzj4LgGBeF8fftoxgwD9J0zP1Pcq4YUGXBLr900ctSEa2diRhN-TIeDudxR_eEXD3ieSS61IyeliASshZ5h4VvXVCvi6KvfaPbCc2Mk1qVU7q2I1HyCELeMMVpS0KQVXAJLVSxCoYekm9G9UVpf>
to
provide comprehensive and up-to-date information. The new site includes the
U.S. proposals to CoP16 and also offers background information on species
that the United States has proposed for listing. During CoP16, visit the
site to access press releases, blog posts, and social media feeds.  Be sure
to bookmark the FWS CoP16
website<http://www.fws.gov/international/cites/cop16/index.html>, so
that you can follow all of the latest news from Thailand. **

*The Plants Committee (PC) -* Held annually to discuss Resolutions and
species listings pertaining to plants. This meeting is attended by
representatives from each region represented in CITES. Currently, Mexico is
the North American regional representative with Canada serves as the
alternate representative.  *The last PC, PC20, was held in March 2012.  *Click
here to see proceedings or summary records are available online going back
to 1999 <http://www.cites.org/eng/com/PC/member.php>.

*The Animals Committee (AC) -* Held annually to discuss Resolutions and
species listings pertaining to animals. This meeting is attended by
representatives from each region represented in CITES. Currently, Canada is
the North American regional representative and the United States is the
alternate representative.  *The last AC, AC26, was held in March
2012.**  *Click
here to see proceedings or summary records are available online going back
to 1995 <http://www.cites.org/eng/com/AC/member.php>.

*The Standing Committee (SC) -* Meetings are held as needed, usually once a
year and before and after every CoP.  The Standing Committee provides
policy guidance on the implementation of the Convention, among other
things.  Currently, the United States is the North American regional
representative, and Mexico is the alternate representative.  *The last  SC,
SC62 was held in July 2012.**  *Click here to see proceedings or summary
records are available online going back to
1992<http://www.cites.org/eng/com/SC/member.php>
.

*ATTENDING CITES MEETINGS:*

>>The U.S. Delegation to CITES meetings includes people from several
federal agencies as well as a representative of the State Fish and Wildlife
Agencies.  National and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
may become an observers to a CITES meeting.  Observers at a CoP may attend
all plenary and committee sessions, and comment in these sessions on any of
the issues. However, they are not permitted to vote on proposals.  For
observers from the United States, the U.S. Government’s delegation provides
daily briefings at each COP.  U.S.-based NGOs may apply to the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service to become an observer.  Click here to learn more about
how international and U.S. NGOs become an
observer<http://www.fws.gov/international/pdf/factsheet-become-observer-to-cites-meeting-2003.pdf>[pdf]

*CITES 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.  Click here to learn more
about the Appendices and U.S.
species<http://www.fws.gov/international/cites/how-cites-works.html>

*NUMBER OF CITES SPECIES:***

>>There are nearly 35,000 species protected under CITES: more than 5,000
animal species and 29,000 plant species listed in the CITES Appendices. Click
here to learn more about the CITES
Appendices<http://www.cites.org/eng/disc/species.php>
.

Currently, there are 455 plants and 719 animals native or naturalized in
the United States listed that are listed in the CITES Appendices.  This
does not include all of the plants and animals native to Guam, the Northern
Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands.  Listed plant
species include the venus flytrap and the saguaro cactus (along with all
native cacti), all orchids, and several U.S.-native medicinal plants, such
as goldenseal and American ginseng*.*

The current breakdown by Appendix is as follows:

 Animal taxa

I: 110

II: 587

III: 22

Plant taxa

I: 4

II: 450

III: 1

*THE LIST OF CITES SPECIES:***

>>There are several ways to get information on CITES-listed species.  For
an easy-to-read table that shows each species and the Appendix it is listed
in, click here <http://www.cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php>

The CITES species database is a searchable, publicly-available online
catalog that can be searched by taxon name or by country.

*To search by name (scientific name or common name)*:

    Start at the CITES species database page: <
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 database page: <
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.

*REGULATION OF CITES-LISTED SPECIES IN THE UNITED STATES:*

>>CITES permits are required for species that are listed on any of the
three CITES appendices, as well as for international trade in species
listed under the Endangered Species Act, Injurious Wildlife (Lacey Act),
Maine Mammal Protection Act and the Wild Bird Conservation Act.

Click here to find out whether you need a CITES permit and how to get
it<http://www.fws.gov/international/permits/>
.

Click here for more on all the permits handled by the
USFWS<http://www.fws.gov/international/permits/do-i-need-a-permit.html>

*TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CITES…*

Follow our preparations for CoP16 and other activities online at:

Website: http://www.fws.gov/international/cites/cop16/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/USFWSInternatl

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/USFWS_InternationalAffairs

*Compiled by Patricia De Angelis, International Affairs, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, February 2013
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.plantconservation.org/pipermail/native-plants_lists.plantconservation.org/attachments/20130214/b2712679/attachment.html>