Notification to the Parties No. 2003/080 (Rev.)

<< Notifications of 2003

No. 2003/080 (Rev. 18 February 2004*)

Geneva, 16 December 2003

Notification to the Parties

CONCERNING:

Submission of nationally-established export quotas for the year 2004

Submission of export quotas

1. The Secretariat requests that by 31 January 2004 at the latest the Parties provide it with details of the export quotas for CITES-listed species that they have established for 2004. These export quotas will be published on the relevant section of its website as soon as they are received and, where necessary, verified. The Secretariat will also publish by April 2004 a Notification to the Parties on the nationally-established export quotas for the year 2004.

2. The information requested should preferably be presented in a format similar to that used in the tables in Annex 2 of Notification to the Parties No. 2003/019 of 4 April 2003, which is available on the CITES website. Parties should specify the origin and the type of the specimens that will be subject to annual export quotas.

3. For species included in the tables in Annex 2 of Notification to the Parties No. 2003/019, changes from the 2003 export quota levels may be transmitted to the Secretariat in the form of annotations to the relevant page of the tables. Exports quotas for additional species should preferably be provided electronically using the standard nomenclature where applicable. In cases where export quotas remain the same in 2004 as in the previous year, the Secretariat should be duly notified of this decision.

Export quotas for Acipenseriformes

4. The Parties are reminded of the provisions of Resolution Conf 12.7 concerning the Conservation of and trade in sturgeons and paddlefish. The Resolution recommends, with regard to catch and export quotas, that:

a) Parties not accept the import of specimens of Acipenseriformes species from stocks shared between different range States¹ unless:

i) export quotas for that year have been established by the range States² concerned and have been communicated by the Secretariat to the Parties;

ii) the export quotas referred to in subparagraph i) have been derived from catch quotas agreed amongst States that provide habitat for the same stock of an Acipenseriformes species;

iii) catch quotas are based on an appropriate regional conservation strategy and monitoring regime for the species concerned; and

iv) the Secretariat is satisfied that catch and export quotas are agreed by all relevant range States, on the basis of information provided to it on the status of stocks of the species concerned; and

b) if a range State of a shared stock of a species of Acipenseriformes decides to reduce its quota established in accordance with the recommendation under stricter domestic measures, this shall not affect the quota of the other range States of this stock.

Export quotas for elephant specimens

5. Regarding export quotas for African elephant hunting trophies, the range States concerned should refer to the section entitled 'Regarding quotas for and trade in raw ivory' in Resolution Conf. 10.10 (Rev. CoP12).

Export in 2004 of specimens subject to the quotas for 2003

6. As explained in Notification to the Parties No. 2003/019, Parties that intend to authorize exports in the year 2004 of specimens that were obtained for export in 2003 or in previous years and that were part of the quota for 2003, should inform the Secretariat before 31 January 2004 about the quantities still held in stock and the reason why they have not been exported in 2003. Otherwise the Secretariat may not be in a position to confirm the validity of the permits concerned.

General recommendations

7. Parties are encouraged to provide the Secretariat with any additional information pertaining to the rationale, scientific basis, management plan or agreement upon which export quotas have been based, or the non-detriment findings made concerning such export quotas. The Secretariat will publish such information on the CITES website upon request of the Party concerned, in the form and language received. This information should therefore be communicated electronically. Parties should specify the origin of the information and clearly indicate that it is intended for further distribution via the CITES website.

_________________________

*
In the original version of the Notification, the quotation from Resolution Conf. 12.7, cited in paragraph 4, was incorrect.

¹
Quotas do not have to be established for specimens from endemic stocks, i.e. stocks not shared with other countries, and captive breeding or aquaculture operations. Quotas communicated for such specimens are voluntary quotas.

² For States that do not have legislation to establish export quotas at the national level, export quotas communicated to the Parties are considered to be export quotas for the purposes of this Resolution only.

Submission of export quotas

1.	The Secretariat requests that by 31 January 2004 at the latest the Parties provide it with details of the export quotas for CITES-listed species that they have established for 2004. These export quotas will be published on the relevant section of its website as soon as they are received and, where necessary, verified. The Secretariat will also publish by April 2004 a Notification to the Parties on the nationally-established export quotas for the year 2004.

2.	The information requested should preferably be presented in a format similar to that used in the tables in Annex 2 of Notification to the Parties No. 2003/019 of 4 April 2003, which is available on the CITES website. Parties should specify the origin and the type of the specimens that will be subject to annual export quotas.

3.	For species included in the tables in Annex 2 of Notification to the Parties No. 2003/019, changes from the 2003 export quota levels may be transmitted to the Secretariat in the form of annotations to the relevant page of the tables. Exports quotas for additional species should preferably be provided electronically using the standard nomenclature where applicable. In cases where export quotas remain the same in 2004 as in the previous year, the Secretariat should be duly notified of this decision.

Export quotas for Acipenseriformes

4.	The Parties are reminded of the provisions of Resolution Conf 12.7 concerning the Conservation of and trade in sturgeons and paddlefish. The Resolution recommends, with regard to catch and export quotas, that:

	a)	Parties not accept the import of specimens of Acipenseriformes species from stocks shared between different range States¹ unless:

		i)	export quotas for that year have been established by the range States² concerned and have been communicated by the Secretariat to the Parties;

		ii)	the export quotas referred to in subparagraph i) have been derived from catch quotas agreed amongst States that provide habitat for the same stock of an Acipenseriformes species;

		iii)	catch quotas are based on an appropriate regional conservation strategy and monitoring regime for the species concerned; and

		iv)	the Secretariat is satisfied that catch and export quotas are agreed by all relevant range States, on the basis of information provided to it on the status of stocks of the species concerned; and

	b)	if a range State of a shared stock of a species of Acipenseriformes decides to reduce its quota established in accordance with the recommendation under stricter domestic measures, this shall not affect the quota of the other range States of this stock.

Export quotas for elephant specimens

5.	Regarding export quotas for African elephant hunting trophies, the range States concerned should refer to the section entitled 'Regarding quotas for and trade in raw ivory' in Resolution Conf. 10.10 (Rev. CoP12).

Export in 2004 of specimens subject to the quotas for 2003

6.	As explained in Notification to the Parties No. 2003/019, Parties that intend to authorize exports in the year 2004 of specimens that were obtained for export in 2003 or in previous years and that were part of the quota for 2003, should inform the Secretariat before 31 January 2004 about the quantities still held in stock and the reason why they have not been exported in 2003. Otherwise the Secretariat may not be in a position to confirm the validity of the permits concerned.

General recommendations

7.	Parties are encouraged to provide the Secretariat with any additional information pertaining to the rationale, scientific basis, management plan or agreement upon which export quotas have been based, or the non-detriment findings made concerning such export quotas. The Secretariat will publish such information on the CITES website upon request of the Party concerned, in the form and language received. This information should therefore be communicated electronically. Parties should specify the origin of the information and clearly indicate that it is intended for further distribution via the CITES website.

_________________________
*	In the original version of the Notification, the quotation from Resolution Conf. 12.7, cited in paragraph 4, was incorrect.
¹	Quotas do not have to be established for specimens from endemic stocks, i.e. stocks not shared with other countries, and captive breeding or aquaculture operations. Quotas communicated for such specimens are voluntary quotas.
²	For States that do not have legislation to establish export quotas at the national level, export quotas communicated to the Parties are considered to be export quotas for the purposes of this Resolution only.