


Wildlife trade and conservation
Comments are invited from interested individuals and organisations on CoP 15 proposals and agenda items.
To be considered comments must be received by Friday 8 January 2010.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that the international trade in animals and plants does not threaten their survival. Australia is one of 175 current signatories to CITES. Signatories are known as Parties. More information on CITES can be found at www.cites.org .
The Conference of Parties to the Convention (CoP) is the decision-making body and meets every two to three years. The meetings:
Further information on CoP is available on the CITES website:
The fifteenth CoP will take place from the 13th to the 25th of March 2010 in Doha, Qatar.
All documents to be discussed at this meeting, including proposals to amend the Appendices, draft resolutions, decisions and agenda items are posted on the CITES web site:
Comments are preferred via email and should be sent to:
Post:
Australian CITES Management Authority
International Wildlife Trade Section
Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
PO Box 787
Canberra ACT 2601
Please provide:
Enquiries should be directed to the CITES Policy and Communications Team
These species are threatened with extinction due to international trade. Trade in these species is generally prohibited accept for specimens harvested prior to the date of listing on CITES (pre-CITES) or under exceptional licensed circumstances.
Note: Australia applies a ‘Stricter domestic measure’ to some species (including elephants and cetaceans) to upgrade them from CITES Appendix II to CITES Appendix I.
These species are not necessarily threatened with extinction, but may become so if trade is not properly regulated.