CITES and Plants

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CITES and Plants

• A Users Guide
• Version 3.0

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What This Presentation Will Cover

• Aims and implementation of the Convention
• Plant groups covered by CITES
• Enforcement of the Convention

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Aims and Implementation
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Why Protect Wild Plants?

• Unsustainable international trade in wild plants
  may threaten the survival of wild populations

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Aims of the Convention

• To regulate and monitor the international trade
  in selected species of plants and animals
• To ensure that international trade does not
  endanger the survival of populations in the wild

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Parties to the Convention
Non-Party 2003
Party 2003
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CITES Authorities
Management Authority
Scientific Authority
CITES Secretariat
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CoPs and Committees
Plants Committee
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The Appendices
Appendix I
Appendix II
Appendix III
gt300 species
gt25,000 species
gt30 species
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Appendix I

• Trade in wild plants prohibited for commercial
  purposes
• Trade in artificially propagated plants allowed,
  subject to permit

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Appendix II

• Trade in wild and artificially propagated plants
  allowed for commercial non- commercial
  purposes, subject to permit

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Appendix III

• Trade in wild and artificially propagated plants
  allowed for commercial non- commercial
  purposes, subject to permit

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Export Permits

• Issued by the Management Authority
• Scientific Authority must advise that export will
  not be detrimental to the survival of the species
  in the wild
• The Non-Detriment Statement

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Import Permits

• CITES requires for wild Appendix I plants
• Some countries, for example member states of the
  European Union, require import permits for all
  species treated as Appendix I or Appendix II

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Certificates of Origin
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Summary

• International convention with over 160 Parties
• COPs and Committees
• Appendices species lists
• Permit system

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Plant Groups Covered by CITES
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More Plants than Animals!
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Plants, Parts and Derivatives
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Orchid Species
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Orchid Hybrids
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Cacti
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Cacti Seeds
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Carnivorous Plants
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Carnivorous Plants - Dionaea muscipula
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Galanthus
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Cyclamen
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Aloe
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Succulent Euphorbia
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Cycads
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Palms
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Tree Ferns
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Timber - Appendix I
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Timber - Appendix II and III
Swietenia
Pericopsis
Gonystylus
Major trade routes
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Medicinal Plants
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Exemptions
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Summary

• Plant groups controlled
• Parts, derivatives and products
• Exemptions to the controls

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Enforcement
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Enforcement
CUSTOMS
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Problems with Shipments

• No documents
• Documents do not match plants
• Misdeclarations

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Distinguishing Between Wild and Artificially
Propagated Plants
Artificially Propagated
Wild
Wild
Artificially Propagated
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Wild Collected Cacti
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Wild Collected Orchids
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Seized Plants

• Numbers
• Identification
• Resources
• Condition

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Summary

• Sustainable levels of trade
• Organisation of CITES
• Main plant groups
• Enforcement

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Conclusion
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Further Information

• CITES Secretariat,
• International Environment House,
• Chemin des Anémones,
• CH-1219 Châtelaine,
• Geneva
• Switzerland

• Tel [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• Email cites_at_unep.ch
• URL http//www.cites.org/

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Additional Slides
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Parties to the Convention
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The Appendices
Appendix I gt300 Appendix II gt25,000 Appendix III
gt30
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Nursery Registration
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CITES Definition of Artificially Propagated
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Detecting Detrimental Trade?The Burden on
Exporting Countries

• Article IV of the convention states that an
  export permit shall only be granted when, inter
  alia,
• A Scientific Authority of the state of export has
  advised that such export will not be detrimental
  to the survival of that species

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Detrimental Trade - How and Why?

• Insufficient resources to implement Article IV of
  CITES
• Poor implementation of export bans on wild plants
• Smuggling

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National CITES Authorities

• Functions of the Management Authority include
• representing the Party at CITES meetings
• preparation of COP proposals
• receiving input from the Scientific Authority
• production of annual reports
• issuing permits and certificates

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National CITES Authorities

• Functions of the Scientific Authority include
• advising the MA that exports are sustainable
• advising on export quotas
• preparation of COP proposals
• reviewing COP proposals
• advising MA on the facilities for artificial
  propagation

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CITES Registration of Scientific Institutions

• Exchange allowed under a simple label system
• Both institutions must be CITES registered
• Transaction must be non-commercial
• Collections must be permanently housed and
  curated
• Applies to preserved and live plants
• Material must be legal

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Newsletters
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CITES Checklists
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CITES Identification Manual
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Tillandsia Air Plants