<div dir="ltr"><div>The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2016/06/23/2016-14870/conference-of-the-parties-to-the-convention-on-international-trade-in-endangered-species-of-wild">announced</a> a public meeting and a public comment period t<span style="font-size:12.8px">o discuss items on the provisional agenda for the upcoming meeting of the CITES* that will be held in South Africa in Fall 2016. </span></div><div><br></div><div>This meeting is part of the FWS regular process for encouraging public input in the developing the U.S. negotiating positions on species proposals and proposed resolutions, decisions, and other agenda items being considered at the next meeting of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). <br></div><div><br></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="">Public Meeting Date/Time: <span style="font-size:12.8px">July 19, 2016; 1:00 pm</span><br></p><div><br></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-size:small">Public Meeting</span><span style="font-size:small"> </span>Location: South Interior Building (1951 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, D.C.) - the meeting will also be live-streamed the day of the meeting on the <a href="https://www.fws.gov/international/cites/cop17/index.html" target="_blank" style="font-size:12.8px">CoP17 FWS webpage</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12.8px"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12.8px">Information on the CITES agenda: </p></div><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 40px;border:none;padding:0px"><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-size:12.8px">Full CoP17 Meeting Agenda here: </span><a href="https://cites.org/eng/cop/17/doc/index.php" target="_blank" style="font-size:12.8px">CoP17 Agenda</a></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12.8px">All species proposals here: <a href="https://cites.org/eng/cop/17/prop/index.php" target="_blank">List of proposals to amend Appendices I and II</a></p></div></blockquote><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12.8px"><br></p><div>A <b>public comment period</b> is also open <b>until August 8, 2016</b>. <span style="font-size:12.8px">You may submit comments pertaining to items on the provisional agenda for discussion at CoP17 by one of the following methods:</span></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.8px"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul><li><span style="font-size:12.8px">Federal eRulemaking Portal: <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>. Follow the instructions for submitting comments on Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2014-0018 (the docket number for this notice).</span><br></li><li><span style="font-size:12.8px">U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS-HQ-IA-2014-0018; Division of Policy, Performance, and Management Programs; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 5275 Leesburg Pike, MS BPHC; Falls Church, VA 22041.</span><br></li></ul><p></p></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12.8px"><span style="font-size:12.8px">Find the link for live-stream of the public meeting, learn more about U.S. priorities, and follow US progress in CITES on our </span><a href="https://www.fws.gov/international/cites/cop17/index.html" target="_blank" style="font-size:12.8px">CoP17 FWS webpage</a><span style="font-size:12.8px">, on </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/usfwsinternationalaffairs" target="_blank" style="font-size:12.8px">Facebook</a><span style="font-size:12.8px">, follow us on </span><a href="https://twitter.com/USFWSInternatl" target="_blank" style="font-size:12.8px">Twitter</a><span style="font-size:12.8px">, and subscribe to our </span><a href="http://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/d.jsp?llr=m55c7tjab&p=oi&m=1109842295756&sit=xuh7is8gb&f=ef432b49-6c63-4f48-bb53-68a4255fddfc" target="_blank" style="font-size:12.8px">email list</a><span style="font-size:12.8px">.</span><br></p></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:12.8px"> </p></div><div><i style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;font-weight:bold">LEARN MORE ABOUT CITES…</i><br></div><div><div class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div class="">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">>>CITES is the Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. This international
treaty entered into force in 1975 and aims to ensure that international trade
of CITES-listed animal and plant species is not detrimental to the survival of
wild populations. The international
trade of many well-known plants and animals are regulated under CITES, such as
orchids and elephants, as well as more esoteric species, such as tree ferns and
emperor scorpions. 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. <a href="http://www.cites.org/eng/disc/AC_PC.php">Explore the international CITES
website</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">There are currently 182 Parties
(member countries) to CITES. The United
States was the first signatory to CITES in 1975, and Tajikistan is the latest
countries to join in 2016. <a href="https://cites.org/eng/disc/parties/chronolo.php">Full list of the Parties</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><b><i><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><b><i><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">In the United States…</span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">CITES is administered by the
International Affairs Program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in
coordination other agencies, such as the National Marine Fisheries Service and
the U.S. Department of Agriculture. <a href="http://www.fws.gov/international/cites/">More information on CITES in the
United States</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">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. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><a href="http://www.fws.gov/international/permits/do-i-need-a-permit.html">Find
out whether you need a CITES permit and how to get it</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><b><i><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">CITES SPECIES:</span></i></b><i><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">>>Under CITES, species may
be listed on one of <a href="http://www.cites.org/eng/disc/species.php">3
Appendices</a>, 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. More than 35,000 species are protected in the
<a href="http://www.cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php">CITES Appendices</a>,
including more than 5,600 animals and 30,000 plants. Search the <a href="http://checklist.cites.org/#/en">Checklist of CITES Species</a> by
scientific or common name, CITES Appendix, or country distribution. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><b><i><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">In the United States…</span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Currently, there 514 plants and
1087 animals native or naturalized in the United States that are listed in the
CITES Appendices, and additional CITES-species native to Guam, the Northern
Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands. U.S.-native species include the Venus
flytrap, black coral, ruby-throated hummingbird, and humpback whale<i>.</i> <a href="http://www.fws.gov/international/cites/how-cites-works.html">Learn more
about the Appendices and U.S. species</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><br></p></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><b><i><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">CITES MEETINGS:</span></i></b><i><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">>>CITES convenes several
international meetings to implement the treaty, including:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">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. <b>The
next meeting, CoP17, will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, 24 September-5
October 2016. </b><span style="background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial">Be sure to bookmark the </span><a href="https://www.fws.gov/international/cites/cop17/index.html" target="_blank">FWS
CoP17 website</a>, which <span style="background-image:initial;background-repeat:initial">provides
information U.S. proposals and priorities for CoP17, and for up-to-date
information, press releases, blog posts, and social media feeds during CoP17. </span><a href="http://www.cites.org/eng/cop/index.php">Click here to view CoP meeting information back to 1976</a><b></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The Plants Committee (PC) - Held
annually to discuss technical and scientific aspects of Resolutions and species
listings pertaining to plants. <b>The most recent meeting, PC22, was held in October
2015. </b><a href="https://cites.org/eng/com/pc/index.php">Click here to view PC
meeting information back to 1999</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The Animals Committee (AC) - Held
annually to discuss technical and scientific aspects of Resolutions and species
listings pertaining to animals. <b>The most recent meeting, AC28, was held in August-September
2015. </b><a href="https://cites.org/eng/com/ac/index.php">Click here to view AC
meeting information back to 1995</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The Standing Committee (SC) -
Meetings are held as needed, usually once a year and before and after every
CoP. <b>The next meeting, SC62 will be
held just prior to CoP17 in October 2016.
</b><a href="http://www.cites.org/eng/com/SC/member.php">Click here to view the agenda
for the next meeting and previous SC meetings back to 1992</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><b><i><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">In the United States…</span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">>>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 FWS to become an
observer. <a href="https://www.fws.gov/international/cites/cop17/public-participation.html">Click
here to learn more about how international and U.S. NGOs become an observer</a>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><b><i><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CITES…</span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Learn more about U.S. priorities at
CoP17 and follow our progress on the <a href="http://www.fws.gov/international/cites/cop17/index.html" target="_blank">FWS
CoP17 webpage</a>, like us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/usfwsinternationalaffairs" target="_blank">Facebook</a>,
follow us on <a href="https://twitter.com/USFWSInternatl" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, and subscribe to our <a href="http://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/d.jsp?llr=m55c7tjab&p=oi&m=1109842295756&sit=xuh7is8gb&f=ef432b49-6c63-4f48-bb53-68a4255fddfc" target="_blank">email list</a>.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><br></span></p><div><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Patricia S. De Angelis, Ph.D.<br></font></div><div><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Botanist<font color="#000000">, </font></font><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12.8px">Division of Scientific Authority</span></div><div><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">US Fish & Wildlife Service</font></div><div><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12.8px">5275 Leesburg Pike, MS: IA</span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12.8px">Falls Church, VA 22041-3803</span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12.8px">703-358-1708 x 1753</span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12.8px">703-358-2276 (FAX)</span></div><div><span style="font-size:12.8px"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:12.8px">Promoting sustainable use and conservation of native plants in the United States (</span><a href="http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/more/fish__wildlife_and/plants/pca.html" target="_blank" style="font-size:12.8px">Plant Conservation Alliance</a><span style="font-size:12.8px">) and abroad (</span><a href="https://www.fws.gov/international/plants/" target="_blank" style="font-size:12.8px">CITES</a><span style="font-size:12.8px">).</span><span style="font-size:12.8px"> </span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
</div>