[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 48 (Monday, March 12, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10736-10737]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-04919]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-HQ-IA-2017-0079; FF09A30000-189-FXIA16710900000]


Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International 
Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora; 18th Regular 
Meeting; Request for Information and Recommendations on Resolutions, 
Decisions, and Agenda Items for Consideration

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: To implement the Convention on International Trade in 
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES, or the Convention), 
the Parties to the Convention meet periodically to review which species 
in international trade should be regulated and other aspects of the 
implementation of CITES. The 18th regular meeting of the Conference of 
the Parties to CITES (CoP18) is scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka from 
May 23, 2019, through June 3, 2019. With this notice, we invite the 
public to provide us with information and recommendations on 
resolutions, decisions, and agenda items that the United States might 
consider submitting for discussion at CoP18. In addition, with this 
notice we provide preliminary information on how to request approved 
observer status for nongovernmental organizations that wish to attend 
the meeting.

DATES: We will consider all information and comments we receive on or 
before May 11, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by one of the following methods:
     Internet: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments on Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2017-0079.
     Hard copy: Submit by U.S. mail or hand-delivery to Public 
Comments Processing; Attn: Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2017-0079; U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife Service Headquarters, MS: BPHC; 5275 Leesburg Pike; Falls 
Church, VA 22041-3803.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information pertaining to 
resolutions, decisions, and agenda items, contact Laura Noguchi, Chief, 
Wildlife Trade and Conservation Branch, Division of Management 
Authority, at 703-358-2095 (phone); or [email protected] 
(email). If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), 
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 800-877-8339. For information 
pertaining to species proposals, contact Rosemarie Gnam, Chief, 
Division of Scientific Authority, 703-358-1708 (phone); or 
[email protected] (email).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild 
Fauna and Flora (CITES, or the Convention) is an international treaty 
designed to regulate international trade in certain animal and plant 
species that are now, or potentially may become, threatened with 
extinction. These species are included in the Appendices to CITES, 
which are available on the CITES Secretariat's website at http://www.cites.org/eng/disc/species.php.
    Currently there are 183 Parties to CITES--182 countries, including 
the United States, and one regional economic integration organization, 
the European Union. The Convention calls for regular meetings of the 
Conference of the Parties (Conference, or CoP) every 2-3 years, unless 
the Conference decides otherwise. At these meetings, the Parties review 
the implementation of CITES, make provisions enabling the CITES 
Secretariat in Switzerland to carry out its functions, consider 
amendments to the lists of species in Appendices I and II, consider 
reports presented by the Secretariat, and make recommendations for the 
improved effectiveness of CITES. Any Party to CITES may propose 
amendments to Appendices I and II, resolutions, decisions, and agenda 
items for consideration by all the Parties at the meeting.
    This is our second in a series of Federal Register notices that, 
together with a public meeting (time and place to be announced in a 
future Federal Register notice), provide you with an opportunity to 
participate in the development of the U.S. submissions to, and 
negotiating positions for, the 18th regular meeting of the Conference 
of the Parties to CITES (CoP18), which is scheduled to be held in Sri 
Lanka from May 23, 2019, through June 3, 2019. We published our first 
CoP18-related Federal Register notice on January 23, 2018 (83 FR 3179). 
In that notice, we requested information and recommendations on species 
proposals for the United States to consider submitting for discussion 
at CoP18, and we also described the U.S. approach to preparations for 
CoP18. We intend to announce tentative species proposals that the 
United States is considering submitting for CoP18 and solicit further 
information and comments on them

[[Page 10737]]

when we publish our third CoP18-related Federal Register notice. You 
may obtain information on species proposals by contacting the Division 
of Scientific Authority at the telephone number or email address 
provided in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Our regulations governing 
this public process are found at 50 CFR 23.87.

Request for Information and Recommendations on Resolutions, Decisions, 
and Agenda Items

    Although we have not yet received formal notice of the provisional 
agenda for CoP18, we invite your input on possible agenda items that 
the United States could recommend for inclusion, or on possible 
resolutions and decisions of the Conference of the Parties that the 
United States could submit for consideration. Copies of the agenda and 
the results of the most recent, or 17th, meeting of the Conference of 
the Parties (CoP17) in Johannesburg, South Africa, which took place 
from September 24, 2016, through October 5, 2016, as well as copies of 
all resolutions and decisions of the Conference of the Parties 
currently in effect, are available on the CITES Secretariat's website 
(http://www.cites.org/).

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.''
    National agencies or organizations within the United States must 
obtain our approval to participate in CoP18, whereas international 
agencies or organizations must obtain approval directly from the CITES 
Secretariat. We will publish information in a future Federal Register 
notice on how to request approved observer status. A factsheet on the 
process is posted on our website, at https://www.fws.gov/international/pdf/factsheet-become-observer-to-cites-meeting.pdf.

Future Actions

    As stated above, the next regular meeting of the Conference of the 
Parties (CoP18) is scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka from May 23, 2019, 
through June 3, 2019. The United States must submit any proposals to 
amend Appendix I or II, or any draft resolutions, decisions, or agenda 
items for discussion at CoP18, to the CITES Secretariat no later than 
150 days (tentatively December 24, 2018) prior to the start of the 
meeting. In order to meet this deadline and to prepare for CoP18, we 
have developed a tentative U.S. schedule. Approximately 12 months prior 
to CoP18, we plan to publish our next CoP18-related Federal Register 
notice announcing tentative species proposals that the United States is 
considering submitting for CoP18 and soliciting further information and 
comments on them. Following publication of that notice and 
approximately 10 months prior to CoP18, we plan to publish a Federal 
Register notice announcing draft resolutions, draft decisions, and 
agenda items the United States is considering submitting for CoP18 and 
soliciting further information and comments on them. Approximately 5 
months prior to CoP18, we will post on our website an announcement of 
the species proposals, draft resolutions, draft decisions, and agenda 
items submitted by the United States to the CITES Secretariat for 
consideration at CoP18.
    Through a series of additional notices and website postings in 
advance of CoP18, we will inform you about preliminary negotiating 
positions on resolutions, decisions, agenda items, and amendments to 
the Appendices proposed by other Parties for consideration at CoP18, 
and about how to obtain observer status from us. We will also publish 
an announcement of a public meeting tentatively to be held 
approximately 3 months prior to CoP18. That meeting will enable us to 
receive public input on our positions regarding CoP18 issues. The 
procedures for developing U.S. documents and negotiating positions for 
a meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES are outlined in 50 
CFR 23.87. As noted in paragraph (c) of that section, we may modify or 
suspend the procedures outlined there if they would interfere with the 
timely or appropriate development of documents for submission to the 
CoP and of U.S. negotiating positions.

Public Availability of Comments

    Before including your address, phone number, email address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be 
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. If you submit 
a hardcopy comment that includes personal identifying information, you 
may request at the top of your document that we withhold this 
information from public review; however, we cannot guarantee that we 
will be able to do so.

Author

    The primary author of this notice is Clifton A. Horton, Division of 
Management Authority, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Authority

    The authority for this action is the Endangered Species Act of 
1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).

Gregory J. Sheehan,
Principal Deputy Director.
[FR Doc. 2018-04919 Filed 3-9-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4333-15-P