CITES Authorities and Forestry Authorities of Member Countries meet to define Working Groups

May 24, 2022 | CITES | CoP 19 CITES | LFG | NDFs | MEMBER COUNTRIES | BIOAMAZONIA PROJECT

The formation of the Working Groups to support the implementation of CITES for Amazonian tree species and the preparation for participation in the Conference of the Parties (CoP19) of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), to be held in November in Panama, were discussed.

On May 24, 2022, Project Bioamazonia promoted a meeting with the CITES Authorities and Forestry Authorities of the ACTO Member Countries for the formation of Working Groups within the framework of the consultancy entitled “Support to ACTO Member Countries in the implementation of CITES for tree species in the Amazon Region”.

This consultancy, carried out by CITES flora specialist César Belteton, follows up on the basic proposal of the “Amazon Regional Action Plan for the implementation of the Convention for tree species”.

The Plan will provide a joint vision of the tree species of the Amazon Region and, thus, coordinate efforts to ensure that the exploration and export of timber forest resources is carried out under sustainable parameters and does not compromise the long-term survival of the species in their natural environment, and that the tools provided by CITES for this purpose, such as Non-detriment Findings (NDF) and Legal Acquisition Findings (LFG), are applied appropriately.

At the meeting it was possible to socialize with the CITES Focal Points and Forestry Authorities of the MPs the activities to be implemented within the framework of the consultancy, and to share the analysis of the synergies found between the Amazon Regional Action Plan for the implementation of CITES aimed at tree species and the ACTO Forest and Biodiversity Programs for the Amazon Basin and the Amazon Region.

The proposal for a short and medium-term plan of activities for the Working Groups was also presented and validated, with a view to the participation of the PS/ACTO in CITES CoP19 in November 2022.

Capacity Building

One of the requirements established in the text of the CITES Convention for the regulation of trade in specimens of species included in Appendix II is that a Scientific Authority of the State Party to the Convention must certify that an export, import and/or re-export will not be detrimental to the survival of a CITES-regulated species. These analysis and evaluation mechanisms are collectively known as Non-detriment Findings (NDFs).

As part of ACTO’s objectives to reduce asymmetries between Member Countries, Project Bioamazonia promoted, in late 2020, training and support to each MP in the development of NDFs and the inclusion of Cedrela spp. in CITES Appendix II.

This training, aimed at strengthening the formulation of NDFs and also of LADs for Amazonian tree species, preceded the preparation of the proposed Regional Plan for Amazonian Tree Species.

Source / Credits: Adapted from OTCA News