Notification to the Parties

CONCERNING:

Revised export quotas for 2001

Explanatory notes

Background

1. In accordance with paragraph i), under "RECOMMENDS" of section II of Resolution Conf. 10.2 (Rev.), the Parties named in the Annex to this document have communicated to the Secretariat the export quotas that they have established for the calendar year 2001. Export quotas for raw elephant ivory are included. They were communicated in Notification to the Parties No. 2001/004 of 9 February 2001, which is therefore replaced by the present Notification. Catch and export quotas for shared stocks of Acipenseriformes species have been communicated in Notification to the Parties No. 2001/042 of 9 July 2001. Export quotas for Acipenseriformes species from sources that are not subject to Decision 11.58 are included in the Annex to the present Notification. Additional quotas and amendments to quotas that have been provided by Parties since the publication of Notification to the Parties No. 2001/019 of 16 March 2001 are also included in the present Notification, which therefore replaces the former Notification.

Interpretation

2. Unless indicated otherwise, the quotas listed in the Annex were established by the Party concerned.

3. The inclusion of quotas in this list does not imply endorsement by the Secretariat. The quotas are established by the Parties and the Secretariat has no indication, in particular regarding the removal of specimens from wild populations, as to whether these quotas are based on the determinations that Parties are required to make that the level of exports would not be detrimental to the survival of the species [Article IV, paragraph 2 (a)]. The Secretariat will however request clarification, as well as supporting information from the Party concerned, whenever a concern about a specific quota arises. In such instances, and also in cases where Parties have indicated that a quota is provisional, quotas in the Annex are indicated to be 'in preparation'. The Secretariat may, in addition, decline to publish a quota when it has inadequate information about the status of the species concerned and its management.

4. The list in the Annex also includes quotas established by the Conference of the Parties (marked with '*') and those resulting from recommendations of the Animals Committee and the Standing Committee [marked with '+'] in the context of Resolution Conf. 8.9 (Rev.).

5. Quotas established represent the maximum number of specimens that may be authorized for export in the calendar year 2001. Quotas refer, unless otherwise specified, to specimens of wild origin.

6. Specimens obtained for export in 2000 or previous years should not be authorized for export in 2001 as part of an export quota for 2000 or previous years unless the Management Authority had informed the Secretariat before 15 January 2001 about the quantities still held in stock and the reason why they had not been exported. The quotas for 2001 (and subsequent years) should not be set at a level to include specimens that were obtained for export in 2000 but for which no export permit was issued in that year.

Export permits

7. Management Authorities are referred to Resolution Conf. 10.2 (Rev.), section II, paragraphs i) and j) under "RECOMMENDS", concerning references to quotas on export permits. Each export permit issued for a species subject to an export quota should indicate the total number of specimens of the species exported to date (including those covered by the permit) and the annual quota for the species, in the following format:

1250/4000 (2001)

In this example 1,250 specimens of the species concerned have been authorized to be exported to date (including those on the current permit), out of an annual quota of 4,000 in the year 2001. This information should be provided in block 11a of the standard permit form in Annex 2 to Resolution Conf. 10.2 (Rev.). By implication, Management Authorities should keep a running total of all exports authorized for species subject to quotas. The Secretariat has been informed of a number of cases in previous years where quotas were not adequately reflected on export permits.

8. When issuing permits, Management Authorities should follow the standard nomenclature for species and the terms used in the Annex for the type and source of specimens [also see Resolutions Conf. 10.2 (Rev.) and Conf. 11.22].

9. Where, for any species, separate annual export quotas have been established according to the source of the specimens, for example wild specimens ('W') and specimens produced on ranches ('R'), the information specified on each export permit should refer to the export quota in relation to the source, and not to the combined export quota for the species.

10. When the established export quota for a species refers ONLY to one source, for example 'W', Parties should not accept specimens from another source (e.g. 'F') as part of the same quota.

11. The Secretariat will recommend to potential importing countries the rejection of permits that do not, where appropriate, include the details referred to in paragraphs i) and j) under "RECOMMENDS" of section II of Resolution Conf. 10.2 (Rev.).

Further improvements to the establishment and management of quotas

12. The Secretariat recommends to Parties to make quotas as specific as possible, i.e. to refer to a number or other restrictions (weight, measure, age class, etc.), a requirement for tagging or labelling where applicable and to describe precisely the type of specimens included (e.g. live specimens or hunting trophies) and their source (e.g. wild-taken, ranched or bred in captivity).

13. As indicated in Notification to the Parties No. 2000/022 of 23 March 2000, the Secretariat uses its website to inform Parties of quotas, in addition to publishing them in Notifications.

Submission of quotas for 2002

14. The Secretariat requests Parties to submit quotas for 2002 by the end of November 2001. Quotas received after 31 December will not be published in a Notification before June of the following year. Additionally, Parties are requested to submit their nationally established quotas using the standard nomenclature adopted by the Conference of the Parties. When in doubt about names to be used, Parties are requested to refer to the list of export quotas for 2001 and the current Appendices, to the Checklist of CITES Species and the database of CITES-listed species accessible through the CITES website, or to the Secretariat.

Annex: Export quotas for specimens of species included in the CITES appendices for 2001 (, 185KB)