[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 19 (Friday, January 28, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page ]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-1923]


[Federal Register: January 28, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service


Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International 
Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora; Ninth Regular 
Meeting; Thirty-First Meeting of the Standing Committee; Public Meeting

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) publishes the 
time and place for the ninth regular meeting of the Conference of the 
Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species 
of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and announces a public meeting to 
discuss the upcoming thirty-first meeting of the CITES Standing 
Committee and agenda items for the upcoming meeting of the Conference 
of the Parties.

DATES: The public meeting will be held on February 22, 1994 from 2-4 
p.m. The Service will consider information and comments from the public 
concerning items of concern to the ninth meeting of the Conference of 
the Parties received by March 1, 1994 (except for items relating to 
listing of species in the Appendices).

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in Conference Room 200 of 
the Fish and Wildlife Service building, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, 
Arlington, VA. Comments on the provisional agenda should be sent to the 
Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, c/o Office of Management 
Authority, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, room 432, Arlington, VA 22203.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild 
Fauna and Flora, TIAS 8249, hereinafter referred to as CITES, is an 
international treaty designed to control and regulate international 
trade in certain animal and plant species which are or may become 
threatened with extinction, and are listed in Appendices to the 
Convention (and are available from the Office of Management Authority 
at the address, above). Currently, 120 countries, including the United 
States, are CITES Parties. CITES calls for biennial meetings of the 
Conference of the Parties (COP) which review its implementation, make 
provisions enabling the CITES Secretariat in Switzerland to carry out 
its functions, consider amendments to the list of species in Appendices 
I and II, consider reports presented by the Secretariat, and make 
recommendations for the improved effectiveness of the Convention.
    This is the second in a series of notices which, together with 
public meetings, provide the public with an opportunity to participate 
in the development of the United States negotiating positions for the 
ninth regular meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES (COP9). 
The first Federal Register notice was published on November 18, 1993 
(58 FR 60873) which detailed possible changes in the criteria for 
listing species on the CITES appendices and requested comments from the 
public on aspects of these changes which should be considered by the 
U.S. The Service's regulations governing this public process are found 
in Title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations Secs. 23.31-23.39.

Notice of the Ninth Regular Meeting of the Conference of the 
Parties

    The Service hereby notifies the public of the convening of the 
ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP9) to be held in 
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.A. from November 7-18, 1994.

Provisional Agenda for COP9

    The Service will participate in the 31st meeting of the CITES 
Standing Committee, and by this notice calls for a public meeting to 
discuss the agenda for this meeting and items of concern for COP9. A 
copy of the agenda for the Standing Committee meeting, scheduled for 
March 21-25, 1994, is available from the Office of Management Authority 
(see ADDRESSES, above). While it has not yet received formal notice of 
the provisional agenda for COP9, the Service expects the issues noted 
below to be on the agenda, which will likely follow the sample format 
outlined below. A brief discussion follows of those agenda items that 
may not be self-evident to the public:

I. Opening ceremony by the Authorities of the United States
II. Welcoming addresses
III. Adoption of the Rules of Procedure
IV. Election of Chair and Vice-Chair of the meeting and of Chair of 
Committees I and II
V. Adoption of the Agenda and Working Programme
VI. Establishment of the Credentials Committee and Committees I and II
VII. Report of the Credentials Committee
VIII. Admission of observers
IX. Matters related to the Standing Committee
    1. Report by the Chair
    2. Election of new members and alternate regional members: The 
Standing Committee is the governing body of CITES between meetings of 
the COP. It is composed of representatives of North America (currently 
Canada), South and Central America and the Caribbean (Trinidad and 
Tobago), Asia (Thailand), Oceania (New Zealand), Africa (Senegal) and 
Europe (Sweden), along with the Depositary Government (Switzerland), 
the host of the last COP (Japan), and the host of the next COP (the 
United States). The United States will attend the next Standing 
Committee in its capacity as host government for the next CITES COP.
X. Report of the Secretariat
XI. Financing and budgeting of the Secretariat and of meetings of the 
Conference of the Parties
    1. Financial report for 1992-1993-1994
    2. Anticipated expenditures for 1995
    3. Budget for 1995-1997 and Medium Term Plan for 1995-2000
    4. External funding
XII. Committee reports and recommendations
    1. Animals Committee
    2. Plants Committee
    3. Identification Manual Committee
    4. Nomenclature Committee
XIII. Interpretation and implementation of the Convention

    It is expected that resolutions will be submitted by one or more 
Parties dealing with many of these agenda items. Resolutions can only 
be submitted by Parties, and must be submitted to the Secretariat by 
June 10, 1994. With this notice, the United States begins the process 
of receiving input from the public on possible resolutions the United 
States may submit.
    1. Report on national reports under Article VIII, paragraph 7, of 
the Convention:
    Each Party is required by the Convention to submit an annual report 
containing a summary of the permits it has granted, and the types and 
numbers of specimens of species in the CITES Appendices that it has 
imported and exported. The U.S. CITES Annual reports are available from 
the Office of Management Authority (see ADDRESSES, above).
    2. Review of alleged infractions:
    The Secretariat prepares an Infractions Report for each meeting of 
the Conference of the Parties, which details instances that species 
listed in the Appendices are being adversely affected by trade or the 
Convention is not being effectively implemented, or actions by Party 
countries that undermine the effectiveness of the Convention. The COP8 
Infractions Report highlighted those cases of the most serious 
infractions, in order to focus the attention of the Parties; the COP9 
Infractions Report is expected to do the same. A future Federal 
Register notice will notify the public of the availability of the 
Infractions Report.
    3. Exports of leopard hunting trophies and skins: This refers to 
the importation of leopard skins, including hunting trophies, under a 
quota system approved by the Conference of the Parties.
    4. Trade in specimens of species transferred to Appendix II subject 
to annual export quotas: This refers to species of crocodilians listed 
in Appendix I, which have populations that have been transferred to 
Appendix II pursuant to annual export quotas, which are voted upon by 
the Conference of the Parties.
    5. Trade in rhinoceros products:
    This refers to the illegal trade in rhino horn, principally for the 
Asian medicinal market. The problem has been discussed at the last two 
Standing Committee meetings, will be discussed at the March 21-25 
Standing Committee meeting (SC31) and is expected to be an issue of 
particular concern to the Parties and a subject of discussion at COP9.
    6. Trade in tiger products:
    This refers to the illegal trade in tiger parts and products, 
principally for the Asian medicinal market. The problem has been 
discussed at the last two Standing Committee meetings, will be 
discussed at the March 21-25 Standing Committee meeting (SC31) and is 
expected to be an issue of particular concern to the Parties and a 
subject of discussion at COP9.
    7. Proposed new criteria for listing species on the Appendices: At 
COP8 in Kyoto, the Standing Committee was instructed to examine the 
current criteria used in listing species on the Appendices. A Joint 
Committee Meeting of the Animals, Plants, and Standing Committees met 
in Brussels, in September 1993, and drafted a resolution for possible 
revision of the current CITES listing criteria (Resolutions 1.1 and 
1.2, the so-called ``Berne Criteria''), based on a document prepared 
for the Parties by IUCN, the World Conservation Union. At SC31, The 
Standing Committee will review comments received from the Parties and 
possibly complete a revised draft resolution for the consideration of 
the Parties at COP9. Extensive discussion of this revised draft 
resolution, and the entire issue of criteria for listing species in the 
Appendices, will take place at COP9.
    8. Trade in birds:
    The trade in live wild-caught birds is an issue of great concern to 
both the United States and the CITES Parties, in that the trade in many 
species of birds listed in Appendix II may be detrimental to their 
survival. The U.S. now prohibits the import into the U.S. of birds 
listed on CITES Appendix II unless the Secretary of the Interior finds 
that such trade will not endanger the survival of the species, based on 
the Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992. The Service is not certain 
whether this item will be placed on the agenda by any Party.
    9. Trade in crocodilian products:
    This refers to work by the Animals Committee to institute a system 
of universal marking for all crocodilian skins in trade, as a response 
to serious problems of illegal trade in crocodilian skins, parts, and 
products.
    10. Trade in plant specimens:
    Nursery registration for artificially propagated Appendix I 
species, among other issues relating to plant species, will most likely 
be discussed.
    11. Significant trade in Appendix II species:
    This refers to the trade in those Appendix II species identified as 
subject to significant trade, for which insufficient biological 
information exists to warrant trade at current levels. Resolution Conf. 
8.9 dealt with this topic, and established a procedure for review of 
the status of significantly traded species, and the implementation of 
Article IV of the Convention by the exporting countries involved. It is 
anticipated that this topic will be placed on the agenda for COP9 as 
well.
    12. Standardization of CITES permits and certificates:
    This refers to the development of harmonized CITES permits.
    13. Transport of live specimens:
    This refers to a report by the Working Group on Transport of Live 
Specimens, which is chaired by the U.S. Office of Management Authority. 
The Transport Working Group met in 1993 in Senegal to assess the 
implementation of requirements in the CITES treaty that live animals be 
prepared without injury, damage to health, or cruel treatment. One or 
more Parties that have been active in the Working Group may propose a 
resolution for the Conference of the Parties dealing with species 
subject to high mortality rates in transport.

XIV. Consideration of proposals for amendment of Appendices I and II: 
These topics will be the subject of future notices in the Federal 
Register.
    1. Proposals submitted pursuant to Resolution on Ranching
    2. Ten Year Review proposals
    3. Proposals concerning export quotas
    4. Other proposals
XV. Conclusion of the meeting
    1. Determination of the time and venue of the next regular meeting 
of the Conference of the Parties
    2. Closing remarks

Announcement of Public Meeting

    To discuss with the public the upcoming thirty-first meeting of the 
Standing Committee and discuss issues to be considered at COP9, the 
Service announces that it will hold a public meeting on February 22, 
1994, from 2-4 p.m. in room 7000 of the Department of the Interior 
building, 18th & C Streets NW., Washington, DC . Persons wishing 
directions to the public meeting or additional information should 
contact the Office of Management Authority in writing (see ADDRESSES, 
above) or at (703) 358-2093.

Request for Information and Comments

    The Service invites information and comments on the COP9 possible 
agenda items discussed above and possible resolutions the U.S. may wish 
to submit, excluding item XIV, ``Consideration of proposals for 
amendment of Appendices I and II''. A separate Federal Register notice 
has been published on these items on July 15, 1993 (58 FR 38112), which 
requested information from the public on animal or plant species that 
should be considered by the U.S. as possible amendments to the 
Appendices. Item XIV will be the subject of two more separate notices. 
Information and comments should be submitted to the Service no later 
than March 1, 1994 to be ensured of consideration.

Observers

    Article XI, paragraph 7 of the Convention provides:
    Any body or agency technically qualified in protection, 
conservation or management of wild fauna and flora, in the following 
categories, which has informed the Secretariat of its desire to be 
represented at meetings of the Conference by observers, shall be 
admitted unless at least one-third of the Parties object:
    (a) International agencies or bodies, either governmental or non-
governmental, and national governmental agencies and bodies; and
    (b) National non-governmental agencies or bodies which have been 
approved for this purpose by the State in which they are located.
    Once admitted, these observers shall have the right to participate 
but not to vote.
    Persons wishing to be observers representing United States national 
non-governmental organizations must receive prior approval of the Fish 
and Wildlife Service. After granting of that approval, a national non-
governmental organization is eligible to register with the CITES 
Secretariat to participate in the COP as an observer. Requests for such 
approval should include evidence of technical qualification in 
protection, conservation or management of wild fauna and flora, on the 
part of both the organization and the individual representative. 
Organizations previously approved by the Service shall submit a request 
but do not need to provide as detailed information concerning their 
qualifications as those seeking approval for the first time. 
Organizations seeking approval for the first time should detail their 
experience in the protection, conservation, or management of wild fauna 
and/or flora, as well as their purposes for wishing to participate in 
the COP as an observer. Such requests should be sent to the Office of 
Management Authority (OMA; see ADDRESSES, above). Upon approval by OMA, 
an organization will receive instructions for registration with the 
CITES Secretariat in Switzerland. Any organization requesting approval 
for observer status at COP9 will be added to the Service's CITES 
Mailing List, and will receive copies of all future Federal Register 
notices and other information pertaining to COP9. A list of 
organizations approved for COP9 observer status will be available from 
OMA just prior to COP9.

Other Meetings and Notices

    The CITES Secretariat has notified the Parties that they must 
submit by June 10, 1994 any draft resolutions, other documents for 
consideration, proposals to register the first commercial captive-
breeding operation for an Appendix I animal species, and proposed 
amendments to the Appendices. The Service plans to publish additional 
Federal Register notices containing the following information: Species 
it intends to propose for amendments to the CITES Appendices; 
resolutions the U.S. intends to propose for consideration at COP9; a 
list of resolutions and proposed amendments to the Appendices received 
by the CITES Secretariat, for consideration at COP9, from other Party 
governments; proposed U.S. negotiating positions on these resolutions 
and proposals; and the final U.S. negotiating positions for COP9. The 
Service plans to hold a public meeting in September, 1994 to receive 
public input on its proposed negotiating positions.

Author

    This notice was prepared by Dr. Susan S. Lieberman, Office of 
Management Authority, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (703/358-2093; FAX 
703/358-2280).

    Dated: January 24, 1994.
Bruce Blanchard,
Deputy Director.
[FR Doc. 94-1923 Filed 1-27-94; 8:45 am]
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