U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

How did the program develop?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

established the Plant Rescue Center

(PRC) Program in 1978 to care for plants

confiscated by the U.S. Government due

to noncompliance with the import/export

requirements of the Convention on

International Trade in Endangered

Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

(CITES). The Service’s Division of

Management Authority (DMA) enlisted

botanical gardens, arboretums,

zoological parks, and research

institutions in the United States to

volunteer as PRCs. Currently, more than

65 institutions in over 18 States, the

District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico

cooperate as PRCs.

What are the criteria for becoming a

PRC?

An institution interested in becoming

part of the PRC Program should apply

to DMA for approval. There are five basic

requirements:

1. The PRC must be a public botanical

garden, arboretum, zoological park, or

research institution. It must be a

government or a privately funded

nonprofit entity.

2. At their own expense, cooperators

must be able to transfer confiscated

plants from the U.S. Department of

Agriculture (USDA) port office to the

PRC.

3. The USDA maintains each confiscated

plant shipment as a unit. The PRC must

accept and maintain the unit for 30 days

in the event that the country of export/

re-export requests its return.

4. The PRC may incorporate the

confiscated plants into its own collection

if the country of export/re-export does

not request their return within 30 days.

The U.S. Plant Rescue

Center Program

5. After the PRC incorporates the

confiscated plants into its collection, it

may display, propagate, or otherwise use

them for purposes consistent with

CITES. They remain U.S. property and

the PRC may not trade, sell, or

otherwise dispose of them. However,

propagules of these plants, which become

the property of the PRC, may be traded,

sold, or disposed of through other means.

Upon confirmation that the requirements

have been met, DMA provides the

institution formal notification of

acceptance and informs it of the

following:

1. Prior to assigning a confiscated plant

shipment, DMA will contact the PRC to

identify available plants and ascertain the

PRC’s interest in receiving them. No

plants will be sent to a PRC without its

approval.

2. Plant shipments usually will be sent

by USDA plant inspection officials.

There will usually be no need for the

PRC to make any arrangements other

than to accept and maintain a shipment

when it arrives. Occasionally, the PRC

may be asked to transfer the shipment,

at its own expense, from the plant

inspection station to the PRC.

3. Unless otherwise agreed to in advance,

plant shipments will be sent under U.S.

Government franked mailing labels.

4. The USDA will provide any quarantine

or phytosanitary treatment necessary

before plants are sent to the PRC.

5. The PRC must notify DMA by letter

when the plants arrive and maintain the

plant shipment as a unit for 30 days.

6. After 30 days, the PRC may display,

propagate, or use the plants for other

purposes consistent with CITES.
7. Should the country of export/re-export

ask for the return of the plants, that

country is responsible for the air freight

of the shipment. The PRC would then be

asked to deliver the package to the

nearest airline, as advised by DMA.

What factors determine which PRCs

receive which plants?

Several factors determine where

confiscated plants are sent. The port at

which the plants were seized, distance to

an appropriate PRC, weather/season/

climate, and expertise of the PRCs are

all factored into DMA’s determination.

Plants held in Hawaii or Puerto Rico

usually are assigned to local PRCs

rather than to PRCs on the mainland.

DMA usually does not assign plants to

PRCs in the northern United States

during winter months to avoid freezing

while in transit. DMA also considers the

expertise and limitations of PRCs.

Several have expressed interest only in

certain taxa. Others only want shipments

containing small quantities of plants.

Keeping in mind all of these

considerations, DMA tries to assign

plants in such a way that each of the

PRCs receives at least some each year.

What is the PRC assignment procedure?

1. A CITES plant shipment imported

into the United States must be inspected

by a USDA plant inspector at the port of

import. If the inspector finds that the

import does not comply with CITES, the

shipment usually is confiscated.

2. Upon confiscation, the plant inspector

contacts the appropriate USDA official in

Washington, D.C., who then contacts

DMA. The plant inspector provides data

on the quantity of plants, common or

scientific names, country of export/reexport, name and address of the

importer (and foreign exporter, if

available), and USDA shipment control

number.

3. DMA reviews the list of recent

assignments and selects a candidate

PRC to receive the shipment.

4. DMA contacts the PRC and confirms

its interest/ability to receive the

shipment, then advises Washington

USDA of the PRC selected.

5. Washington USDA contacts the USDA

plant inspector, who then packages the

specimens for air or surface shipping and

sends them, at U.S. Government expense

in most cases, to the PRC. Only rarely

will PRC officials be asked to pay

shipping charges or pick up specimens at

the USDA port office themselves.

6. DMA prepares correspondence to the

PRC and the USDA confirming the

details of the assignment. DMA also

prepares correspondence to notify

appropriate officials in the country of

export/re-export and inquire about their

interest in the return of the shipment.

7. After 30 days, if the country of export/

re-export has not claimed the shipment,

it becomes part of the PRC’s collection.

Can plant shipments be returned to the

country of export or re-export?

Confiscated plant shipments are

available for return to the country of

export/re-export provided that an

appropriate official in that country

notifies DMA within 30 days and

arranges to cover return shipping costs.

Several countries have requested that

plants be returned and they usually are

shipped via a national airline, at no cost to

the countries. DMA issues a CITES reexport certificate for shipments to be

returned.

What are some recent statistics?

During 2002, the USDA confiscated 281

plant shipments in violation of CITES.

These shipments contained a total of

10,127 plants (7,702 orchids, 1,334 cycads,

880 cacti, 146 carnivorous plants, 45

euphorbias, and 20 other species) and an

additional 5 kilograms of plant seeds. Of

these 281 shipments, 280 were assigned

to PRCs. One shipment containing a

single orchid plant, was returned to the

country of export.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

International Affairs

Division of Management Authority

4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 700

Arlington, VA 22203

703/358-2104 or 800/358-2104

Fax 703/358-2281

e-mail: managementauthority@fws.gov

http://international.fws.gov

http://permits.fws.gov

Summer 2003