Notification to the Parties

No. 2000/025 Geneva, 23 March 2000

CONCERNING:

Establishing a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to assist the Secretariat
with its programme to Monitor the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE)

1. The Secretariat is pleased to inform Parties that the MIKE Subgroup of the CITES Standing Committee has approved the establishment of a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) for the MIKE programme, established in accordance with Resolution Conf. 10.10.

2. The TAG will be established to provide expert and transparent technical oversight for the development and implementation of the MIKE programme in the form of independent technical review by appropriately qualified and experienced persons from all six elephant range subregions in Africa and Asia.

3. The Terms of Reference for this group are presented in the Annex.

4. Management Authorities of elephant range States in Africa and Asia are invited to make nominations for members of the Technical Advisory Group, taking into account the qualifications for TAG members outlined in paragraph 3 of the Annex. For each nominee, the relevant area of expertise should be clearly stated.

5. Nominations, accompanied wherever possible by a curriculum vitae, should be submitted to the Secretariat by 30 April 2000.

ANNEX

Terms of Reference for a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) for MIKE

The MIKE Technical Advisory Group (TAG) shall provide expert and transparent technical oversight to the development and implementation of MIKE in Africa and Asia.

1. Terms of Reference
	a) As a Group the TAG shall:
	- Act together, through the combined strengths of their individual professional contributions, to ensure the technical and practical soundness of MIKE.
	- Help ensure the consistency and appropriateness of the design, development and implementation of MIKE across the six sub-regions in Africa and Asia.
	- Advise on appropriate analytical procedures and time lines for outputs or products from MIKE to the Parties or relevant bodies established by the Parties.
	b) In their individual capabilities, the members of TAG shall, in response to specified deadlines:
	- Avail themselves for technical consultation on specific or general issues, concerning MIKE, as required by the CITES Secretariat, on behalf of the MIKE Sub-Group of the CITES Standing Committee.
	- Review all MIKE data collection forms and instruction protocols for technical correctness, broad applicability and practicality of design and analysis.
	- Review all MIKE training modules and materials to ensure consistency and appropriateness across the existing field conditions and characteristics in the MIKE sites.
	- Provide extensive and in-depth written comment to the CITES Secretariat on any technical matters requiring review or revision, often on short notice and to tight deadlines.
2. Modus operandi
	a) TAG structure
	- The formal TAG membership should be held to a maximum of 10, not including CITES Secretariat or MIKE staff.
	- The TAG will comprise elephant experts from the six relevant sub-regions of Africa and Asia as well as members with broader, continental - level perspectives.
	- Additional individuals may be co-opted on an "as needs" basis when specialist technical expertise is deemed necessary (e.g. individuals whose areas of expertise include population dynamics, analytical design of surveys and monitoring programs, spatial statistics, use of imagery/remote sensing, and training).
	- The CITES Secretariat will act as Chair and convenor of the MIKE TAG and will formally report its deliberations and recommendations to the MIKE Sub-Group.