[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 3, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21825-21827]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-10916]



=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International 
Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora; Thirty-fifth 
Meeting of the Standing Committee; Meeting of the Animals Committee; 
Meeting of the Plants Committee; Public Meeting

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: With this notice the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) 
announces a public meeting to discuss the results of the thirty-fifth 
meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species 
of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Standing Committee, held March 21-24, 
1995, in Geneva, Switzerland, and to discuss matters related to the 
upcoming meetings of the CITES Animals and Plants Committees.

DATES: The public meeting will be held on June 13, 1995, from 1:30 p.m. 
to 3:30 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in Room 7000 A and B of the 
Department of the Interior, 18th and C Streets, NW., Washington, DC.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kenneth B. Stansell or Susan S. 
Lieberman, Office of Management Authority, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 
420-C, Arlington, VA 22203; telephone 703/358-2093.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild 
[[Page 21826]] Fauna and Flora, hereinafter referred to as CITES or the 
Convention, is an international treaty designed to control 
international trade in certain animal and plant species which are or 
may become threatened with extinction, and are listed in Appendices to 
the Convention. Currently, 128 countries, including the United States, 
are CITES Parties. CITES calls for biennial meetings of the Conference 
of the Parties which review its implementation, make provisions 
enabling the CITES Secretariat in Switzerland to carry out its 
functions, consider amending the list of species in Appendices I and 
II, consider reports presented by the Secretariat, and make 
recommendations for the improved effectiveness of the Convention.
    The Standing Committee, Animals Committee, and Plants Committee 
were established by the Conference of the Parties. The functions of the 
Standing Committee are to provide guidance and advice to the 
Secretariat on the implementation of CITES, on the preparation of 
meetings, and on other matters brought to it by the Secretariat; to 
oversee, on behalf of the Parties, the development and execution of the 
Secretariat's budget and also all aspects of fund raising undertaken by 
the Secretariat in order to carry out specific functions authorized by 
the Conference of the Parties; to provide coordination and advice as 
required to other Committees; to provide direction and coordination of 
working groups established by either itself or the Conference of the 
Parties; to carry out, between one meeting of the Conference of the 
Parties and the next, any necessary interim activities on behalf of the 
Conference as may be necessary; to draft resolutions for consideration 
by the Conference of the Parties; to report to the Conference of the 
Parties on the activities it has carried out between meetings of the 
Conference; to act as the Bureau at meetings of the Conference of the 
Parties until the Rules of Procedure are adopted; and to perform any 
other functions entrusted to it by the Conference of the Parties. The 
functions of the Animals Committee are to assist the Nomenclature 
Committee in the development and maintenance of a standardized list of 
animal names; to assist the Identification Manual Committee in the 
preparation of an identification manual on animal species; to establish 
a list of those animal taxa included in CITES Appendix II which are 
considered to be significantly affected by trade, and review and assess 
biological and trade information on these taxa to exclude species 
concluded not to be detrimentally affected by trade, formulate 
recommendations for remedial measures for species for which trade is 
believed to be having a detrimental effect, and to establish priorities 
for projects to collect information on species for which there is 
insufficient information available to judge whether the level of trade 
is detrimental; to assess information on those animal species for which 
there is evidence of a change in the volume of trade or for which 
information is available to indicate the necessity for review; to 
undertake a periodic review of animal species included in the CITES 
Appendices; to provide advice on management techniques and procedures 
available on request to range States; to draft resolutions on animal 
matters for consideration by the Conference of the Parties; to deal 
with the matter of transport of live animals; to perform any other 
functions entrusted to it by the Conference of the Parties or the 
Standing Committee; and to report to the Conference of the Parties and, 
if so requested, to the Standing Committee, on the activities it has 
carried out between meetings of the Conference. The functions of the 
Plants Committee are to provide guidance and advice to the Conference 
of the Parties, and other Committees, working groups, and the 
Secretariat, on all aspects relevant to international trade in plant 
species included in the CITES Appendices; to assist the Nomenclature 
Committee in the development and maintenance of a standardized list of 
plant names; to assist the Identification Manual Committee in the 
preparation of an identification manual on plant species; to assist and 
advise Parties in the preparation of publicity material for plants 
included in the CITES Appendices; to establish a list of those plant 
taxa included in CITES Appendix II which are considered to be 
significantly affected by trade, and review and assess biological and 
trade information on these taxa to exclude species concluded not to be 
detrimentally affected by trade, formulate recommendations for remedial 
measures for species for which trade is believed to be having a 
detrimental effect, and to establish priorities for projects to collect 
information on species for which there is insufficient information 
available to judge whether the level of trade is detrimental; to assess 
information on those plant species for which there is evidence of a 
change in the volume of trade or for which information is available to 
indicate the necessity for review; to undertake a periodic review of 
plant species included in the CITES Appendices; to make advice on 
management techniques and procedures available on request to range 
States; to draft resolutions on plant matters for consideration by the 
Conference of the Parties; to serve as a plants working group, if so 
requested by the Conference of the Parties; to perform any other 
functions entrusted to it by the Conference of the Parties or the 
Standing Committee; and to report to the Conference of the Parties and, 
if so requested, to the Standing Committee, on the activities it has 
carried out between meetings of the Conference.

Agenda of the Thirty-fifth Meeting of the Standing Committee

    The agenda for the thirty-fifth meeting of the Standing Committee, 
held March 21-24, 1995, is listed below. The results of each agenda 
item will be discussed at the public meeting on June 13, 1995:

Agenda

1. Opening remarks by the Chairman and CITES Secretary General
2. Adoption of the Agenda
3. Revision of Rules of Procedure
4. Tasks for the CITES Standing Committee given by the ninth regular 
meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP9) and tentative timetable 
for the next Standing Committee meetings and for the discussions on 
modalities of representation of the regions in the Standing Committee
5. Review ``How to improve the effectiveness of the Convention''
6. Working Group on Timber
7. Recommendations of the Animals Committee in relation to species 
subject to significant trade
    (a) Primary recommendations--follow-up of the relevant decisions of 
Standing Committee 32
    (b) Secondary recommendations subject to a deadline of 31 January 
1995
8. Follow-up of Resolution Conf. 9.13. Tiger trade issues in range and 
consumer States
9. African elephant and related issues (e.g. Panel of Experts and ivory 
stockpiles)
10. Enforcement issues
11. National legislation for the implementation of CITES
12. Information on the status of the budget and on staffing issues 
including the position of the Deputy Secretary-Generalship
13. Late submission of annual reports by Parties
14. Consideration of new project proposals
15. Any other business
16. Closing remarks [[Page 21827]] 

Animals and Plants Committee Meetings

    The next meeting of the CITES Animals Committee is tentatively 
scheduled to be held September 11-15, 1995, in Guatemala. An agenda for 
the meeting has not yet been established. Any documents to be submitted 
for inclusion in the agenda of the meeting must be submitted to the 
Chairman of the Animals Committee no later than one month prior to the 
start of the meeting. Matters related to the upcoming meeting of the 
Animals Committee will be discussed at the public meeting June 13, 
1995.
    The next meeting of the CITES Plants Committee is scheduled to be 
held June 19-23, 1995, in the Canary Islands. Matters related to the 
upcoming meeting of the Plants Committee will be discussed at the 
public meeting June 13, 1995.
    Author: This notice was prepared by Mark R. Albert, Office of 
Management Authority, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (703/358-2095; FAX 
703/358-2280).

    Dated: April 27, 1995.
Mollie H. Beattie,
Director, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 95-10916 Filed 5-2-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P