The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Updates their "CITES" Regulations (French)

Issue 029, September 18, 2007

A major update and compilation of regulations involving the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has been published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). The new regulations become effective September 24, 2007 and are available on-line at the FWS website at http://www.fws.gov/international/.

The extensive revisions and additions clarify procedures and provide an easy-to-use guide to the requirements for international trade in plants and animals regulated by CITES. The updated regulations are an important tool for international wildlife conservation that will help make procedures more understandable for international travelers and especially for Americans who are part of the multi-billion-dollar animal and plant import and export business.

International treaties have been implemented to promote long-term global conservation of fish and wildlife resources. CITES provides varying degrees of protection to more than 30,000 species of animals and plants. Any plant or animal being imported or exported may be protected by more than one treaty, law, or regulation. Information to determine if a species of plant or animal is protected internationally by the CITES treaty can be found on official list of CITES species at http://www.cites.org/eng/app/index.shtml and the CITES species database at http://www.cites.org/eng/resources/species.html.

Paul E. Vroman
Regulatory & Compliance Consultant/ Compliance Projects Manager
Licensed Customs Broker
NCBFAA Certified Customs Specialist