Assistant Secretary of Interior Craig Manson
Leads U.S. Delegation to CITES Conference
in Chile; Announces Tentative Negotiating Positions

Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Craig Manson will lead the U.S. delegation to the upcoming 12th Conference of Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Santiago, Chile.

CITES is an international agreement signed by 160 nations that is designed to control and regulate global trade in certain wild animals and plants that are or may become threatened with extinction due to commercial trade.

"The world's plants and animals are a treasure shared by all nations, and CITES plays a vital role in their conservation," Manson said. " By helping regulate wildlife trade while working to curb poaching and shut down black markets, the convention demonstrates the effectiveness of international partnership and cooperation in the conservation of endangered plants and animals."

Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs John Turner will be the other senior official in the 47-person delegation. Turner is a former director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which manages CITES affairs for the U.S. government.

Manson announced the tentative U.S. negotiating positions for the conference, which will take place November 3-15.

The positions, to be published in the Oct. 31 Federal Register, include opposing a proposal to downlist populations of two whale species (minke and Bryde's) from Appendix I to Appendix II of the convention, which would re-open commercial whaling in those species. The United States has not yet taken a position on other high-profile proposals, including allowing commercial trade in ivory and other elephant products, and listing mahogany and Patagonian toothfish, also known as Chilean sea bass, in Appendix II.

"The United States will play an important role in the deliberations in Santiago, and we are eager to hear from all sides of these proposals, especially the range countries of the species," Manson said.

A CITES-regulated species may be included in one of three appendices to the Convention:

• Appendix I includes species for which it is determined that any commercial trade is detrimental to the survival of the species. Therefore, no commercial trade is allowed in Appendix-I species. Non-commercial trade in such species is allowed if it does not jeopardize the species' survival in the wild. Permits are required for the exportation and importation of Appendix-I species.

• Appendix II includes species for which it has been determined that commercial trade may be detrimental to the survival of the species if that trade is not strictly controlled. Trade in these species is regulated through the use of export permits.

• Appendix III includes species listed by a range country that requires the assistance of other parties to ensure that exports of their native species are legal. Permits are used to control and monitor trade in native species. Any CITES Party may place a native species in Appendix III.

Any listing of a species in either Appendix I or II requires approval by two-thirds of the CITES party countries that vote on the proposal.

The United States has sponsored or co-sponsored a number of proposals, including listing of a variety of highly-traded Asian turtle species in Appendix II, including the yellow-headed temple turtle, roofed turtle, yellow pond turtle, big-headed turtle, keeled box turtle, black marsh turtle, and narrow-headed softshell turtle.

The United States also is proposing inclusion of seahorses and the humpback wrasse, a fish, in Appendix II and moving two species of cacti - the Tonopah fishhook cactus and Blaine's pincushion - from Appendix II to Appendix I.

High-profile proposals put forward by other nations and the U.S. tentative negotiating positions include:

Minke whale and Bryde's whale: Japan has proposed to downlist the northern hemisphere population of minke whales (except the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and

Sea of Japan populations) and the western North Pacific population of Bryde's whales from Appendix I to Appendix II, with some annotations. The United States' tentative negotiating position is to oppose these proposals, believing the species do not qualify for downlisting. The United States also believes it is inappropriate to consider downlisting under CITES until the International Whaling Commission completes its revised management scheme for commercial whaling.

African elephants: Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe have each proposed to maintain their elephant populations in Appendix II, but to allow for trade in ivory and other elephant products, such as hides, leather goods, and ivory carvings under an annual quota. Meanwhile, Zambia has proposed to downlist its population from Appendix I to Appendix II and to allow sale of tusks owned by Zambia's Wildlife Authority and sales of live animals under special circumstances, with the revenue going for conservation. Kenya and India have proposed to transfer all African elephant populations listed in Appendix II to Appendix I.

The United States' tentative negotiating position is undecided on all these proposals. The United States recognizes the steps range nations have taken to move toward sustainable elephant populations but also is concerned about the impact of additional trade on illegal poaching of elephants and ongoing efforts to establish an effective monitoring system for elephant populations. The United States also is waiting to receive additional documents and to hear the results of a meeting of range countries that will take place immediately prior to the November meeting in Santiago.

Patagonian toothfish (Chilean sea bass): Australia has proposed listing this species in Appendix II. The United States' tentative negotiating position is undecided. The United States recognizes that illegal and unregulated fishing operations have had a detrimental impact on the toothfish and that it qualifies for Appendix II. However, the United States also recognizes that the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) has adopted a documentation system to track and monitor toothfish trade and that range countries differ on the need to list the species in Appendix II. The United States hopes to facilitate discussions on the many complex aspects of international trade in toothfish and how CITES might be useful as an adjunct to traditional fisheries management.

Bigleaf mahogany: Guatemala and Nicaragua have proposed listing the neotropical populations of bigleaf mahogany in Appendix II. The United States' negotiating position is undecided. A number of range countries currently list bigleaf mahogany in Appendix III, but they differ in opinion about listing the species in Appendix II. The United States hopes to facilitate a discussion among the range countries.

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