No. 846                                      Geneva, 18 April 1995


CONCERNING:


Analyses of National Legislation for Implementation of the Convent
ion
                   Second Phase of the Project


1.Resolution  Conf.  8.4,  adopted at the eighth  meeting  of  the
  Conference   of   the  Parties  (Kyoto,  1992),   directed   the
  Secretariat, within available resources:

       "to  identify those Parties whose domestic measures do  not
     provide them with the Authority to:
             i)    designate at least one Management Authority and
       one Scientific Authority;
             ii)  prohibit trade in specimens in violation of  the
       Convention;
            iii) penalize such trade; or
              iv)    confiscate  specimens  illegally  traded   or
       possessed."

2.The  decision recorded in document Com. 9.15 (Rev.), adopted  at
  the  ninth  meeting  of  the Conference  of  the  Parties  (Fort
  Lauderdale,  1994),  directed the Secretariat  "to  develop,  in
  1995,  analyses of legislation of the Parties to the  Convention
  not named in the revised Annex 1 of document Doc. 9.24".

3.Under a contract with the Secretariat, TRAFFIC USA, on behalf of
  the TRAFFIC Network, and the IUCN Environmental Law Centre (ELC)
  have  completed analyses of national legislation of  81  Parties
  and  other  entities. They have now been contracted  further  to
  prepare  analyses of the legislation of a further 44 Parties  to
  the Convention.

4.As  a  result, ELC and TRAFFIC USA will be requesting, from  the
  Management  Authorities  of  the Parties  concerned,  copies  of
  current  national  legislation that pertains  to  the  following
  aspects of trade in specimens of CITES-listed species (including
  plants):

     a)   the import, export and transit of CITES specimens;

     b)   the internal trade in and possession of CITES specimens;
     and

     c)   penalties (including confiscation) for violations of the
     provisions of such legislation.

  These  Management  Authorities will receive  draft  analyses  of
  their national legislation for implementation of the Convention,
  for review and comments.

5.Parties subject to these analyses are urged to co-operate fully,
  and  to  provide  as  rapidly  as possible  any  information  on
  national legislation that is requested by either ELC or  TRAFFIC
  USA.   Therefore  the  Secretariat  asks  that  each  Management
  Authority that receives a request for information from  the  ELC
  or   TRAFFIC   USA  accept  responsibility  for  providing   the
  information and, whenever necessary, undertake to obtain it from
  any other governmental source.

6.It  is  the objective of the Secretariat to have as accurate  an
  analysis  as possible available to the Parties, for  review  and
  comments at the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties.

7.Therefore,  it  is  very important that the Parties  notify  the
  Secretariat  on  a regular basis of any changes that  have  been
  made  to  their national legislation and regulations  for  CITES
  implementation.