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Notification to the Parties

No. 688 Lausanne, 24 August 1992

CONCERNING:

Significant Trade in Animal Species Included in Appendix II

Recommendations of the Animals Committee

One of the duties of the Animals Committee is to review, on an ongoing basis, the species listed in Appendix II that may be subject to significant levels of trade. During the most recent phase of its review, the Animals Committee agreed that a number of species required attention as a priority. The selection of these species is referred to in working document Doc. 8.30 which was distributed at the eighth meeting of the Conference of the Parties.

In accordance with Resolution Conf. 8.9, the Animals Committee has adopted a number of primary and secondary recommendations relating to these priority species. The recommendations that relate to specific countries have been sent directly to the authorities of those countries. A number of the recommendations, however, do not relate to specific countries and need to be brought to the attention of the Parties. These recommendations are as follows.

Manis crassicaudata, Manis javanica, and Manis pentadactyla

Primary Recommendation:

The Secretariat should advise the Parties to prohibit import of items originating in Indonesia and Thailand because of legislation protecting the species in both countries.

Secondary Recommendation:

Parties involved in trade in oriental medicines - notably Singapore, China (including Taiwan) and Hong Kong should be advised of the Animals Committee's concern about this trade and requested to be particularly vigilant in relation to the trade in pangolin scales.

[The Secretariat has already communicated the concerns of the Animals Committee to the Parties named. The recommendation is repeated here for the benefit of other Parties in which there may be a trade in oriental medicines.]

Amazona oratrix

Secondary Recommendations:

i) All Parties should be careful to distinguish Amazona oratrix in trade from Amazona ochrocephala and Amazona auropalliata, formerly all treated as one species (A. ochrocephala).

ii) The Secretariat should notify all Parties that the distribution of A. oratrix is restricted to Mexico, Belize and possibly Guatemala and that A. oratrix is protected in all range States.

iii) Importing Parties should be requested to be vigilant in preventing imports of wild-caught specimens from range States and re-exports of such specimens from other countries.

Amazona viridigenalis

Primary Recommendation:

The Secretariat should notify all Parties that A. viridigenalis is protected in Mexico and request importing Parties to prohibit all imports of wild-caught specimens of this species.

Eunectes notaeus

Secondary Recommendation:

The Management Authorities of importing Parties in Europe and North America should be requested to identify stocks of skins and ensure that all re-exports are only of legally imported skins.

Ptyas mucosus

Secondary Recommendation:

All Parties should endeavour to ensure that specimens of P. mucosus are accurately identified and not misrecorded as similar but unlisted species.

Rana tigerina and Rana hexadactyla

Secondary Recommendation:

CITES Parties should be requested to report trade in frogs' legs in a standard unit of weight (kg).