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

Thu Feb 14 09:40:42 PST 2013

Thanks to Patricia De Angelis of the Fish and Wildlife Service for sharing
the below:

Dear Pollinator Partners:

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
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001rBDvj8k6Q4RcQpzj4LgGBeF8fftoxgwD9J0zP1Pcq4YU
GXBLr900ctSEa2diRhN-TIeDudxR_eEXD3ieSS61IyeliASshZ5h4VvXVCvi6KvfaPbCc2Mk1qVU
7q2I1HyCELeMMVpS0KQVXAJLVSxCoYekm9G9UVpf> launched a new website 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. 

CITES regulates the international trade of species that are found in
international trade and this trade is regulated or monitored so that it does
not lead to extinction of the wild populations. Several known or potential
pollinator and seed dispersing species are listed in the CITES appendices:
several bats (all Acerodon and Pteropus species, and one broad-nosed bat), 1
beetle (Dynastes satanas, listed in 2010), butterflies (several genera),
hummingbirds (the entire family), primates (including slow loris and
lemurs), rodents (chinchillas) and tree shrews (several genera).  

An item that may be of particular interest on this year's agenda is the
proposal to downlist the Corsican butterfly that was submitted by Denmark on
behalf of the European Union Member States acting in the interest of the
European Union.

Overview

Papilio hospiton was included in CITES Appendix I on 22/10/1987, following a
proposal of the United Kingdom (CoP6 Prop. 57). In 2000, the species was
"considered to be critically endangered in the wild and/or known to be
difficult to keep or breed in captivity" by the United States of America
(Doc AC.16.9.1), in response to Notification to the Parties No 2000/044
[although more recently the species was categorized as Least Concern]. At
its 25th meeting (Geneva, 2011), the Animals Committee selected P. hospiton
for

review in the process of the Periodic Review of Appendices, to be conducted
between CoP15 (2010) and CoP17 (2016) (AC26 WG1 Doc. 1). 

The species is endemic to the islands of Corsica (France) and Sardinia
(Italy), and its reproductive cycle is closely linked to specific food
plants. P. hospiton is widespread and locally abundant, although populations
fluctuate between years. In a 2010 assessment, the species was categorized
as Least Concern by the IUCN and to face no major threats. International
trade from 1987 to 2010 involved seven bodies according to importers or five
bodies according to exporters, mostly Pre-Convention specimens traded for
personal or scientific purposes, with three wild specimens traded for
'circuses and travelling exhibitions'. The species occurs in a number of
protected areas and is protected nationally and internationally.

During CoP16, visit the FWS site to access press releases, blog posts, and
social media feeds.  Be sure to bookmark the
<http://www.fws.gov/international/cites/cop16/index.html> FWS CoP16 website,
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 <http://www.cites.org/eng/disc/AC_PC.php>  explore the international
CITES website

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 <http://www.cites.org/eng/disc/parties/index.php>  here for the full
list of the Parties

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

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 <http://www.cites.org/eng/cop/index.php>  view CoP
Proceedings or summary records are available online going back to 1992

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=001rBDvj8k6Q4RcQpzj4LgGBeF8fftoxgwD9J0zP1Pcq4YU
GXBLr900ctSEa2diRhN-TIeDudxR_eEXD3ieSS61IyeliASshZ5h4VvXVCvi6KvfaPbCc2Mk1qVU
7q2I1HyCELeMMVpS0KQVXAJLVSxCoYekm9G9UVpf>  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
<http://www.cites.org/eng/com/PC/member.php>  here to see proceedings or
summary records are available online going back to 1999.

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 <http://www.cites.org/eng/com/AC/member.php>  see proceedings or
summary records are available online going back to 1995.

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
<http://www.cites.org/eng/com/SC/member.php>  online going back to 1992.

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
<http://www.fws.gov/international/pdf/factsheet-become-observer-to-cites-mee
ting-2003.pdf>  become an observer [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 <http://www.cites.org/eng/disc/species.php>  learn more about
the CITES Appendices.

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

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

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