[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 42 (Friday, March 1, 1996)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 8019-8021]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-4853]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
50 CFR Part 23


Request for Species Amendments and Resolutions for Consideration 
at the Tenth Regular Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the 
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna 
and Flora

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice; request for information.

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SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces the time and 
place of the tenth regular meeting of the Conference of the Parties 
(COP10) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species 
of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). This notice solicits recommendations 
for amending CITES Appendices I or II and solicits suggestions for 
resolutions and agenda items for discussion at COP10. The Service 
invites information and comment from the public on animal or plant 
species that should be considered as candidates for U.S. proposals to 
amend Appendices I or II. Such amendments may concern the addition of 
species to Appendix I or II, the transfer of species from one appendix 
to another, or the removal of species from Appendix I or II. This 
notice also invites information and comments from the public on 
possible resolutions and agenda items for discussion at COP10.

DATES: The Service will consider all information and comments received 
by April 30, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Correspondence concerning this request pertaining to species 
amendments should be sent to the Office of Scientific Authority; Room 
750; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 North Fairfax Drive; 
Arlington, Virginia, 22203. Correspondence concerning this request 
pertaining to resolutions and agenda items should be sent to the Office 
of Management Authority, Room 420, at the same address. Comments and 
materials received will be available for public inspection, by 
appointment, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, at the 
Office of Scientific or Management Authority.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Marshall A. Howe, Office of 
Scientific Authority, phone 703/358-1708, fax 703/358-2276, e-mail 
[email protected]; or Dr. Susan S. Lieberman, Office of 
Management Authority, phone 703/358-2095, fax 703/358-2280, e-mail 
[email protected].

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 that now or potentially are 
threatened with extinction. These species are listed in appendices to 
CITES, copies of which are available from the Office of Management 
Authority or Office of Scientific Authority at the ADDRESSES, above. 
Currently, 130 countries, including the United States, are CITES 
Parties. CITES calls for biennial meetings of the Conference of the 
Parties, 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 CITES. Any country that is a Party to CITES 
may propose amendments to Appendices I 

[[Page 8020]]
and II or resolutions, for consideration by the other Parties.
    This is the first in a series of Federal Register notices which, 
together with announced public meetings, provide an opportunity for the 
public to participate in the development of the United States' 
negotiating positions for the tenth regular meeting of the Conference 
of the Parties to CITES. 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 Tenth Regular Meeting of the Conference of the Parties

    The Service hereby notifies the public of the convening of the 
tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP10) to be held in 
Zimbabwe, June 9-20, 1997.
Request for Information and Comments: Species
    One of the purposes of this notice is to solicit information that 
will help the Service identify species that are candidates for 
addition, removal, or reclassification in the CITES appendices or to 
identify issues warranting attention by the CITES Nomenclature 
Committee. This request is not limited to species occurring in the 
United States. Although U.S. proposals submitted for recent Conferences 
of the Parties have focused on species native to the United States, any 
Party may submit proposals concerning wild animal or plant species 
occurring anywhere in the world. The Service encourages the submission 
of well-documented proposals formatted according to specifications 
presented below.
    The term ``species'' is defined in CITES as ``any species, 
subspecies, or geographically separate population thereof.'' Each 
species for which trade is controlled is included in one of three 
appendices, either as a separate listing or incorporated within the 
listing of a higher taxon. The basic standards for inclusion of species 
in the appendices are contained in Article II of CITES. Appendix I 
includes species threatened with extinction that are or may be affected 
by trade. Appendix II includes species that, although not necessarily 
threatened with extinction, may become so unless trade in them is 
strictly controlled. Appendix II also lists species that must be 
subject to regulation in order that trade in those currently and 
potentially threatened species may be brought under effective control. 
Such listings frequently are required because of difficulty in 
distinguishing specimens of currently or potentially threatened species 
from other species at ports of entry. Appendix III includes species 
that any Party country identifies as being subject to regulation within 
its jurisdiction for purposes of preventing or restricting 
exploitation, and for which it needs the cooperation of other Parties 
to control trade. The present notice concerns only Appendices I and II.
    CITES specifies that international trade in any readily 
recognizable part or derivative of animals listed in Appendix I or II, 
or plants listed in Appendix I, is subject to the same conditions that 
apply to trade in the whole organism. With certain standard exclusions 
formally approved by the Parties, the same applies to parts and 
derivatives of most plant species listed in Appendix II. Parts and 
derivatives usually not included (i.e., not regulated) for Appendix II 
plants are: seeds, spores, pollen (including pollinia), tissue 
cultures, and flasked seedling cultures. Also see 50 CFR Sec. 23.23(d) 
and the October 6, 1995 Federal Register (60 FR 52450) for further 
exceptions and limitations. Further guidance on criteria for adding or 
deleting species in the appendices is contained in several CITES 
resolutions available from the Office of Scientific Authority (see 
ADDRESSES section).
    Until the ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties in 1994, 
resolutions Conf. 1.1 and 1.2 had provided the primary criteria for 
proposing amendments to Appendices I and II. With the adoption of 
resolution Conf. 9.24, new listing criteria were established by the 
Parties and Conf. 1.1, 1.2, and ten other related resolutions were 
repealed. These new criteria apply to all future proposals and are 
available from the CITES Secretariat or upon written request to the 
Office of Scientific Authority. Conf. 9.24 establishes a new format for 
proposals, replacing that described in Conf. 2.17. The new format 
includes the following categories:

A. Proposal
B. Proponent (Party country)
C. Supporting statement
    1. Taxonomy
    1.1  Class.
    1.2  Order.
    1.3  Family.
    1.4  Genus, species or subspecies including author(s) and year and 
taxonomic reference, if other than that adopted by the Conference of 
the Parties.
    1.5  Scientific synonyms.
    1.6  Common names.
    1.7  Code numbers, when applicable, from CITES Identification 
Manual.
    2. Biological Parameters
    2.1  Distribution.
    2.2  Habitat availability.
    2.3  Population status.
    2.4  Population trends.
    2.5  Geographic trends.
    2.6  Role of the species in its ecosystems.
    2.7  Threats.
    3. Utilization and Trade
    3.1  National utilization.
    3.2  Legal international trade.
    3.3  Illegal trade.
    3.4  Actual or potential trade impacts.
    3.5  Captive breeding or artificial propagation for commercial 
purposes (outside country of origin).
    4. Conservation and Management
    4.1  Legal status.
    4.1.1  National.
    4.1.2  International.
    4.2. Species management.
    4.2.1  Population monitoring.
    4.2.2  Habitat conservation.
    4.2.3  Management measures.
    4.3  Control measures.
    4.3.1  International trade.
    4.3.2  Domestic measures.
    5. Information on similar species
    6. Other comments (including consultation with range states)
    7. Additional remarks
    8. References (published literature and other documents)

    Persons wishing to submit proposals for the United States to 
consider should consult Conf. 9.24 for detailed explanation of each of 
the above categories. Proposals to transfer a species from Appendix I 
to Appendix II, or to remove a species from Appendix II, must be 
consistent with the new precautionary measures described in Annex 4 of 
Conf. 9.24.
    Persons having information and comments on species that are 
potential candidates for CITES proposals are urged to contact the 
Service's Office of Scientific Authority. Submitted proposals should be 
as fully developed as possible in accordance with the outline provided 
above and amplified in Conf. 9.24.

Request for Information and Comments: Resolutions and Agenda Items

    Although it has not yet received formal notice of the provisional 
agenda for COP10, the Service invites input from the public on possible 
agenda items the United States could recommend for inclusion, or on 
possible resolutions of the Conference of the Parties that the United 
States could submit. Copies of the agenda for the last meeting of the 
Conference of the Parties (COP9) in Florida in 1994 are available from 
the Office of Management Authority under ADDRESSES, above. A 

[[Page 8021]]
full agenda for COP9 and summaries of all U.S. negotiating positions on 
those agenda items and resolutions were published in the November 8, 
1994 Federal Register (59 FR 55617).

Observers

    Article XI, paragraph 7 of CITES 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 present object:
    (a) international agencies or bodies, either governmental or 
nongovernmental, and national governmental agencies and bodies; and
    (b) national nongovernmental 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. The Service will publish information on how to request 
approved observer status in a future Federal Register notice.

Future Actions

    The next regular meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP10) 
is scheduled for June 9-20, 1997, in Zimbabwe. Any proposals to amend 
Appendix I or II, or any draft resolutions or other documents for 
discussion at COP10, must be submitted by the United States to the 
CITES Secretariat by January 10, 1997 (150 days prior to COP10). In 
order to accommodate this deadline, the Service plans to publish a 
Federal Register notice in August 1996 to announce tentative species 
proposals and draft resolutions to be submitted by the United States 
and to solicit further information and comments on them. In September, 
a public meeting will be held to allow for additional public input. All 
CITES Parties within the geographic ranges of species proposed for 
amendments to the appendices will be consulted by mid-October 1996 so 
that final proposals will have the benefit of their input. Another 
Federal Register notice in February 1997 will announce the Service's 
final decisions and those species proposals and resolutions submitted 
by the United States to the CITES Secretariat.
    Through a series of additional notices in advance of COP10, the 
Service will inform the public about preliminary and final negotiating 
positions on resolutions and amendments to the appendices proposed by 
other Parties for consideration at COP10, and about how to obtain 
observer status from the Service. The Service will also publish 
announcements of public meetings to be held in September 1996 and April 
1997 to receive public input on its positions regarding COP10 issues.

    Authors: This notice was prepared by Dr. Marshall A. Howe, 
Office of Scientific Authority, and Dr. Susan S. Lieberman, Office 
of Management Authority, under the authority of U.S. Endangered 
Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).

List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 23

    Endangered and threatened species, Exports, Imports, Treaties.

    Dated: February 13, 1996.
Bruce Blanchard,
Director.
[FR Doc. 96-4853 Filed 2-29-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P