Wildlife trade and conservation

Approved commercial import programs

Specimens of CITES Appendix II species that are declared specimens may only be imported commercially if they have been artificially propagated or bred in captivity (source codes¹ A, C or D), or if the operation from which they were sourced has been approved as a Commercial Import Program (CIP). Aquaculture of certain aquatic species listed under Appendix II of CITES may also be approved under this provision.

To be approved, a CIP must ensure that it provides reasonable control over the amount of the species that is harvested and traded. The Program must also monitor the population and level of trade of the harvested species and detect and minimise illegal trade. Approval will only be given where the Minister is satisfied that trade in specimens of wildlife derived from the program will not be detrimental to survival of the species to which the specimens belong. In making a decision on a commercial import program the Minister must consider any advice provided by a CITES scientific authority that export of specimens of a species will not be detrimental to survival of the species concerned.

Commercial Import Program CIPs that are currently recognised under the EPBC Act are listed below. Specimens no longer requiring a CIP for import have been marked “No Longer Required”.

Conditions of approval, the species covered and period of approval are specified in the individual declarations. The declarations published on this web site are electronic copies of the original declarations published in the Commonwealth Gazette. They are reproduced, including typographical errors where present, as close as possible to the original document.