Background:

Wildlife Trade- $ 20 billion business/year A quarter of this is illegal (second to Arms/drugs) Species in Trade: primate, birds, reptiles, fish, coral, cacti, orchid (live, body parts, derivatives).

Uses: Food, pet, traditional Chinese medicine, fashion, and research. Much of the trade is from developing countries, which contains most of the world‟s biodiversity

Purpose:

• Protect species from extinction due to trade
• Regulate trade on wildlife worldwide

State Parties: 175

Member: 1975

Depository Government: Switzerland

Convention Bodies:

• Conference of the Parties
• Standing Committee
• Animals Committee
• Plants Committee
• Nomenclatures Committee
• Secretary General, (appointed by UNEP Executive Director)
• Technical Support: World Conservation Monitoring Center

IUCN

• Species Survival Commission
• TRAFFIC Network

WWF

• Standing Committee (6 geographic regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America & Central America and Caribbean & Oceania)
• 1 representative - 15 State Parties
• 2 representative - 16-30 State Parties
• 3 representative - more than 30 State Parties
• 1 representative - Depository Government
• 1 representative (each) - COP organizers (present & next proponent)
• Main & Alternative members

Administrative Arrangements of CITES in Nepal

• Management Authority: Department of Forest, Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation
• Scientific Authority:
  • Department of Plant Resources (for flora)
  • Natural History Museum (for fauna)
• National Legislation:
  • Annual Report
  • Standard Permits and stamp

Fundamental principles of CITES

• Criteria: 1) Biological, 2) Trade
• Appendix I: Includes species threatened with extinction
• Appendix II: Includes species not necessarily threatened with extinction, but for which trade must be controlled to avoid their becoming threatened, Includes species that resemble species already included in Appendix I or II
• Appendix III: Includes species for which a country is asking Parties to help with its protection
• Listing, Up-listing, Down-listing, Delisting, Split listing
• Other provisions:
  • Permits and Certificate, Export, Import, Re-export,
  • Quota (including zoo), Zero quota, Stockpile disposal,
  • Ex-situ conservation (Captive breeding)
  • Proposal submission- 150 days before COP
  • Notification for review: 60 days before COP
  • ETIS & CITES MIKE- Suklaphanta

In Nepal:

• Mammals
  • Appendix I - 52 spp
  • Appendix II - 124 spp
  • Appendix III - 4 spp
• Plants (orchids)
  • Appendix II - 3 spp.

Relevant legislations

Acts and Regulations National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 2029, Forest Act, 2049, Environment Protection Act, 2053, Custom Act, 2021, Export Import (Control) Act, 2015, Police Act, 2013; Postal Act, 2019; Plant Protection Act, 2029; Aquatic Life Protection Act, 2018

Regulations:

• General
  • National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Rules, 2030
  • Wildlife Reserve Rules, 2034
  • Mountain National Park Rules, 2036
  • Buffer Zone Management Rules, 2052
  • Conservation Area (Govt. managed) Rules, 2057
• Specific
  • Chitwan National Park Rules, 2030
  • Khaptad National Park Rules, 2044
  • Bardia National Park Rules, 2053
  • Conservation Area Management Rules, 2056 (NGO)
  • Kanchanjanga CA Mgmt Rules, 2064

Nepal- 1975

• CITES Implementation
• Training, Coordination meetings, Awareness and promotional (Identification Manual)
• CITES legislation (draft), CITES Units (DNPWC & DOF)
• NTCC & WCCB (APO, Intelligence network system)
• Transboundary and Regional Cooperation
  • TAR, China 1995, MOU – 2010
  • India 1997, 1999, 2000, 2010
• SA Wildlife Diagnostic and Law Enforcement Workshop
• SA Wildlife enforcement workshop 2010- SAWEN

Misconception about CITES

• Deals with all aspects of wildlife conservation
• Aims to ban all wildlife trade
• Regulate domestic trade
• Appendices are listing of endangered species
• Impose trade restriction on developing countries