February 13, 2003
Archived May 14, 2004

Subject: Wildlife Species Listing Changes Adopted at the 12th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)

Background:
The CITES Party countries meet approximately every two years at a Conference of the Parties. During this meeting, the countries review and vote on resolutions and decisions to improve the effectiveness of CITES, and amendments to the listings of protected species on CITES Appendix-I and Appendix-II. Resolutions and decisions adopted at a CITES conference became effective from the date on which they are sent by Notification to the Parties unless the resolution or decision specifies otherwise. Amendments to the listing of protected species become effective 90 days after the end of a CITES conference unless an implementation delay has been adopted. The most recent meeting of the Party countries was held in Chile from November 3-15, 2002.

Action:
Effective February 13, 2003, the following amendments to the CITES listing of protected wildlife species will be implemented. Any species imported into, or exported from, the United States on February 13, 2003, will require CITES documentation as appropriate under the amended listings. Shipments en-route with CITES documents reflecting the pre-February 13 listings must complete all import, export, or re-export activity before February 13. The official revised CITES appendices are available on-line on the CITES website at http://www.cites.org .

Wildlife Species Transferred from Appendix-I to Appendix-II

• Vicugna vicugna Vicuña- (population of the Argentine province of Catamarca) for trade in wool products, cloth, manufactured products and other handicrafts under specific marking requirements
• Vicugna vicugna Vicuña- (Bolivia population) for trade in wool products under specific labeling requirements
• Vicugna vicugna- Vicuña- (population of Chilean Primera Region) with annotations
• Rhea pennata pennata Rhea- (Chilean population)
  

Wildlife Species Transferred from Appendix-II to Appendix-I

• Amazona ochrocephala auropalliata Yellow-naped Amazon Parrot
• Amazona ochrocephala belizensis Belize Yellow-headed Amazon Parrot
• Amazona ochrocephala caribaea Rotan Yellow-naped Amazon Parrot
• Amazona ochrocephala oratrix Double Yellow-headed Amazon Parrot
• Amazona ochrocephala parvipes Parvipe’s or Honduras Yellow-naped Amazon Parrot
• Amazona ochrocephala tresmariae Tres Marias Double Yellow-headed Amazon Parrot
• Propyrrhura (Ara) couloni Blue-headed Macaw
• Pyxis planicauda Malagasy Flat Tailed Spider Tortoise

Amended Annotations for Current Wildlife Species Listings

• Loxodonta africana African Elephant -(Botswana, Namibia, South Africa population)
  • trade in hunting trophies for non-commercial purposes
  • trade in live animals for in-situ conservation programs
  • trade in registered raw ivory (whole tusks and pieces) subject to several conditions
  • trade in hides
  • trade in leather goods for non-commercial purposes
• Tursiops truncatus Bottle-nosed Dolphin- zero quota established for live specimens from the Black Sea population removed from the wild and traded for primarily commercial purposes

Wildlife Species Added to Appendix-I

• Brookesia perarmata Dwarf Spiny Chameleon

Wildlife Species Added to Appendix-II

Wildlife Species Deleted from the Appendices

• Cnemidophorus hyperythrus Orange-throated Whiptail Lizard

Nomenclature Changes
CITES adopted new nomenclature and several new nomenclature references that caused significant changes to the listings of the following:

• Birds: Psittaciformes (parrots) and Trochilidae (hummingbirds)
• Reptiles: Cordylus spp (girdled lizards), Varanus spp (monitors), and Naja spp (cobras)
• >Amphibians: all amphibians

Importers and exporters of wildlife should review the updated CITES list of protected species available on the CITES website ( http://www.cites.org ) and monitor for any updates on resolutions or decisions.

Contact:
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Office of Law Enforcement
703-358-1949
703-358-2271 (fax)