Registration of scientific organisations for non-commercial loan, donation or exchange of scientific specimens between Australian and overseas institutions

Application for registration of scientific organisation for exchange of scientific specimens
Australian Government Department of the Environment and Water Resources registered organisations for exchange of scientific specimens
CITES register of scientific institutions (external link)

This page explains the background and processes for the registration of scientific organisations wishing to undertake non-commercial loans, donations or exchanges of herbarium, museum or live plant specimens with other registered scientific organisations overseas.

Please note that organisations previously registered under the Wildlife Protection (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Act 1982 will need to re-register under the EPBC Act. Previous registrations will no longer be recognised.

Further information is available from the Department of the Environment and Water Resources:

Ph (02) 6274 1900. Fax (02) 6274 1921. Email wildlifetrade@environment.gov.au

Facilitated scientific exchange

Under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Sub-sections 303CC(3), 303CD(5) and 303DD(4)) scientific organisations may exchange (export or import) certain specimens of CITES listed species and regulated Australian native specimens without a permit from the Department of the Environment and Water Resources, provided it is part of an exchange of registered non-commercial scientific specimens.

This exemption from requiring a permit for certain scientific specimens is designed to facilitate scientific study, including study into the conservation, management, identification, classification and taxonomy of species.

CITES listed specimens

Where the specimens are derived from species listed on the Appendices to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) the scientific institution must be registered with the CITES Management Authority of its country (for Australian institutions this is the Department of the Environment and Water Resources).

Non-CITES listed Australian native specimens

Both the Australian and overseas scientific organisations must be registered with the Department of the Environment and Water Resources to participate in the facilitated scientific exchange system for Australian native species not listed under CITES.

Please note that an overseas organisation that is already registered for exchange of CITES specimens does not need an additional registration for the purpose of exchanging non-CITES native specimens.

In addition, to qualify for a permit exemption the exchange must meet the following criteria:

the specimen is being lent, given or exchanged without monetary compensation;
the specimen is not a live animal;
the specimen was legally obtained; and
the specimen is identified by a label, attached to the package containing the specimen, that sets out the following information:
1. the name and address of each scientific organisation;
2. the registration codes, given by a relevant CITES authority or the Department, for each scientific organisation;
3. the scientific name, common name and a description of the specimen; and

for a CITES specimen - the Appendix to CITES in which the species to which the specimen belongs is mentioned.

Registration of organisations

How to Register

Australian Organisations

Registration is on the basis of the organisation meeting the following standards :

its collections of animal or plant specimens, and records of them, are permanently housed and professionally curated;
its specimens are accessible to all qualified users, including those from other institutions;
its accessions are properly recorded in a permanent catalogue;
it keeps permanent records for loans and transfers of specimens to other institutions;
it acquires specimens primarily for research that is to be reported in scientific publications;
its specimens are prepared and collections are arranged in a way that ensures their utility;
it keeps accurate data on specimen labels, permanent catalogues and other records;
it acquires and keeps specimens in accordance with the laws of the jurisdiction in which it operates;
its specimens of species mentioned in Appendix I to CITES are permanently and centrally housed under its direct control, and managed in a way that prevents the use of the specimens for decoration, trophies or other purposes incompatible with the principles of CITES.

Alternatively, an organisation which is already listed on the Index Herbariorum is accepted as having met these standards and can be added to the register on that basis for native, non-CITES specimens. In this instance the organisation must indicate that it is listed on the Index Herbariorum when applying for registration.

Note The Index Herbariorum is a joint project of the International Association for Plant Taxonomy and The New York Botanical Garden. It can be found on the Internet at http://sciweb.nybg.org/science2/IndexHerbariorum.asp

Application forms can be found at http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/trade-use/sources/forms/scientific-exchange.html, or obtained from the Department of the Environment and Water Resources, Phone (02) 6274 1900, Email: wildlifetrade@environment.gov.au

Overseas Organisations

For CITES registration, organisations should contact their country's CITES Management Authority.

For non-CITES Australian native specimen exchange only, overseas organisations should register with the Department of the Environment and Water Resources and follow the same procedure as for Australian organisations.

How to exchange specimens

The exchange of specimens between registered organisations should be conducted in the following manner.

Export

For export from Australia, the package containing the specimen must have attached a 'Customs Declaration Form' containing the following information:

The scientific name and description of the specimen.
The Australian organisation's name and registration code number.
The receiving organisation's name and registration code number.
for a CITES specimen
- a clear statement that the shipment is in accordance with CITES Article VII.6; and
- the Appendix to CITES in which the species is listed.

The Customs Declaration Form must be signed by a person authorised by the registered Australian organisation to dispatch specimens.

Import

For import into Australia, the specimen must be accompanied by documentation issued or endorsed by the exporting country's CITES Management Authority complying with the CITES provisions for exchange of scientific specimens (Article VII.6 and Resolution Conf 11.15)

The import of non-living, non CITES specimens is not regulated under the EPBC Act.

Records

Registered organisations must maintain a record of all exchanges undertaken. These records must be made available to the Department of the Environment and Water Resources upon request.

MC AND MN Labels

The previously used MC and MN labels are no longer required or valid.

Organisations holding supplies of MN and MC labels should return these to the Department of the Environment and Water Resources.

Review/Revocation of Registration

A review of the register of scientific organisations will be conducted every 5 years to ensure that the information is up-to-date and that all organisations continue to meet the requirements of registration.

Organisations that no longer meet the requirements or that may have been exchanging specimens contrary to the requirements outlined above will be removed from the Register.

Other research purposes

The EPBC Act also provides for the issue of permits for the export and import of scientific specimens (including live animals) for research purposes. Information on obtaining permits for the import and export of specimens for research purposes can be found at: http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/trade-use/permits/index.html

Note: If a specimen does not meet all the criteria for non-commercial scientific exchange, registered organisations must apply for a research permit