What Is CITES?
The Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna
and Flora (CITES) is an international
agreement that regulates global trade in
many species of wildlife and plants.
More than 160 countries, including the
United States, cooperate through a
system of permits and certificates to
confirm that trade in listed wildlife and
plants, including parts and products, is
legal and does not threaten their
survival in the wild. CITES is designed
to prevent further decline of wild
populations for which there is
international demand and ensure that
trade is based on sustainable use and
management of wild and captive
populations. CITES needs your support
and cooperation to work effectively.
Why is the Service revising the
current CITES regulations?
These regulations (50 CFR Part 23) have
not been substantially updated since
1977. Since that time, CITES member
nations have adopted more than 80
resolutions that clarify how the Treaty is
implemented. We have modified our
operating procedures accordingly and
are updating our regulations to reflect
those changes.
Proposed Revision of CITES Regulations
We have also revised these regulations
as part of our permits reform effort to
simplify procedures and reduce
paperwork while still ensuring effective
species conservation. The new
regulations will bring our written rules
into conformity with current CITES
provisions.
Why are the proposed regulations so
long?
We need to incorporate the many CITES
resolutions that affect how we
implement and enforce the Treaty in the
United States. We also want to provide a
comprehensive, easy-to-use guide to
what is needed to conduct international
trade in CITES species. We organized
much of the information into tables to
help you find information you need more
quickly. These tables and other
explanatory material added to the
length of the regulations.
How do the proposed regulations
support wildlife conservation?
The proposed regulations should
improve our ability to implement the
management, scientific, and enforcement
provisions of CITES, with net benefits
for the conservation of species subject to
international trade.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Service Wildlife Inspector inspects a tropical fish shipment at Los Angeles
International Airport.
“Thirty years have
brought many
changes to
CITES...as issues of
wildlife use grow
ever more complex,
CITES provides
tools to effectively
conserve the world’s
diverse natural
resources.”
Kenneth Stansell
Assistant Director, International Affairs,
USFWS
ESB Sept. 2005
Volume XXX No. 2
USFWS
Will the proposed regulations affect me?
If you import or export wildlife or
plants, these regulations may affect you.
They apply to trade in CITES species,
whether commercial or non-commercial,
including scientific, zoological, and
botanical imports and exports. The
proposed regulations also apply to
international travelers who take wildlife
and plants, or their products, with them
or acquire them overseas.
How will the proposed regulations
help me understand and meet CITES
requirements?
Most parts of the new regulations
explain procedures and requirements
that are already in effect. We have
included specific sections that provide
information on:
How you decide if the regulations
apply to you;
The offices to contact for CITES
information;
What CITES documents are required
for international trade;
What must be on CITES documents;
When a U.S. or foreign CITES
document is valid;
What records you need to keep to
trade in CITES species; and
Special requirements associated with
each type of CITES document,
including documents for hybrids,
traveling live-animal exhibitions, and
personally owned live wildlife.
We also identify the issuance criteria for
different CITES documents and
describe the factors we use to make the
findings on whether those criteria (such
as legal acquisition and non-detriment)
are met. Permit applicants can review
this information to see if they meet the
necessary requirements.
A few proposed provisions are new and
may change some aspects of how
individuals, businesses, and institutions
import and export CITES species.
These include:
Definitions of new terms, such as
sport-hunted trophies;
How you may travel internationally
with personal and household effects
that contain CITES species.
How can I comment on the proposed
regulations?
We encourage interested individuals and
groups to review the proposed
regulations and provide comments. Your
participation in this process can help us
provide clear, workable regulations that
support global wildlife conservation and
facilitate legitimate trade.
You can obtain a copy of the proposed
rule by checking our web site at http://
www.fws.gov/international or by
contacting this office.
Send your comments by June 19, 2006, to
the attention of Dr. Peter Thomas at the
address below or e-mail them to us
(part23@fws.gov). Please reference
“Part 23 Comments” and include your
name and return address in your letter
or e-mail message.
Pansy Orchid (Miltonia sp.)
Bigleaf mahogany (Swietenia
macrophylla) lumber
Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)
skin and U.S. CITES alligator tags
Blue-fronted Amazon parrot (Amazona
aestiva)
International Affairs
Division of Management Authority
4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 700
Arlington, VA 22203
703/358-2104 or 1-800-358-2104
703/358-2280 fax
part23@fws.gov or
www.fws.gov/international
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
www.fws.gov
Spring 2006
USFWS/Anne St. John USFWS/Frank Kohn USFWS/Anne St. John USFWS/Monica Powell
