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Objectives of RRCC: 

In tune with the strategic 

vision 2008- 

2013 of CITES, the 

RRCC endeavours as 

a third party facilitator 

to help realize the 

following twofold purpose 

of the strategic 

vision: 

• to improve the 

working of the Convention, 

so that international 

trade in wild 

fauna and flora is 

conducted at sustainable 

levels; and 

• to ensure that 

CITES policy developments 

are mutually 

supportive of international 

environmental 

priorities and take 

into account new international 

initiatives, 

consistent with the 

terms of the Convention 

In carrying out the 

above mentioned objectives, 

the RRCC 

wishes to: 

•Facilitate the implementation 

of the 

Convention in South 

Asia 

• Promote interactions 

between CITES 

and other related 

multilateral agencies 

like CMS, IWC, CBD, 

WTO, WCO, INTER- 

POL etc 

CITES Update 

V O L U M E 7 , I S S U E 4 

RRCC – Assisting CITES implementation in South Asia 

Monthly CITES Update 

Advisor: Samar Singh 

Editorial….. 

Editor: Manoj Kumar Misra 

Research and Production: Pushp Jain, Sudha Mohan, Manorama Goswami 

Published by 

Research and Resource Centre for CITES (RRCC) 

PEACE Institute Charitable Trust 

178-F, Pocket IV, Mayur Vihar I 

DELHI – 110091, INDIA 

Telefax: 91-11-22719005 

E-mail: manojmisra@peaceinst.org 

April, 2011 

Regulation of trade in plant specimens covered under the provisions of 

CITES is far more complex than the trade in animal specimens. This is because 

of the great number as well as the variety in species as well as the 

parts and products in which a plant species could get traded. The above is 

further compounded by a difficulty in identification of a plant specimen and 

a general lack of trained staff with requisite identification skills. The result 

of such a situation can on one hand endanger further a highly traded species 

already in trouble and on the other specially in the case of 

a medicinal plant in trade make the medicine/s thus produced of dubious 

efficacy or even toxic in nature. 

In a case study on ‘Indian Medicinal Plants in Trade’ by Dr. H B Singh of 

Raw Materials Herbarium & Museum (RHMD), New Delhi, published in the 

Medherb Green Pages 2009 it was reported that: 

“In the present study it has been observed that out of 3076 crude drug 

samples, received for identification, 345 samples were found to be spurious. 

They have been either the allied species of the genuine one or the 

mixtures of the two or all together different plants belonging to different 

families. The medicines prepared from these spurious drugs may not be 

therapeutically as effective as prepared by genuine one because it may not 

have the same active ingredient. Moreover, they may contain toxic compounds 

which may cause deleterious effect on human health”. 

The situation as above indicates of the challenges involved in effective and 

efficient regulation of international trade in plant specimens covered by the 

provisions of CITES. One of the ways for the same is to produce and widely 

disseminate user friendly identification manuals. It may be noted that the 

1

C I T E S U P D A T E 

CITES secretariat as well as some of the Parties have produced such identification manuals. In this context, 

the CITES Wiki Species Identification manual, available at www.cites.org is a welcome effort. A 

search at the same, which is otherwise free to a user, points to the challenges involved in such an effort. 

It may be noted that an identification manual without suitable pictures to aid identification is of limited 

use and thus the CITES manual has still a long way to go to become a truly standard source (as many 

sheets are primarily text) for aiding quick and reliable identification of a specimen in hand with a custom 

or a wildlife official with little technical education. A CITES species photo gallery at http://www.cites.org/ 

index.html is again of limited utility as it lists few species. In this context PC19 Doc 19 (we carry the details 

elsewhere in the issue) prepared for the 19 th meeting of the Plants Committee (PC) scheduled from 

18-21 April 2011 at Geneva (Switzerland) is relevant. 

A recently uploaded ‘manual on wildlife species in trade’ on the official website (http://moef.nic.in/ 

index.php#) of the Ministry of Environment and Forest, MOEF, India is a laudable initiative which is worthy 

of replication by other countries and CITES Parties in the region and beyond. 

The CITES secretariat has announced two vacancies in its Enforcement support division. Eligible candidates 

from the Parties in the south Asia region may like to apply through http://careers.un.org for the 

same. 

Happy reading…… 

Manoj Misra 

PC19 Doc. 19 

Nineteenth meeting of the Plants Committee Geneva (Switzerland), 18-21 April 2011 

PROGRESS REPORT ON THE IDENTIFICATION MANUAL 

1. This document has been prepared by the Secretariat. 

2. In accordance with Resolution Conf. 11.19, paragraph g), the Secretariat herewith provides a report 

on the progress made with the production of the Identification Manual. 

3. The Identification Manual is one of the Convention’s longest-running initiatives, having been initiated 

in 1977. The manual now exists as the CITES Wiki Identification Manual, completing the transition 

between the original paper-based version to a Web-based database. 

4. Access to the database is open to all users. Users who wish to add identification content, or modify 

existing content, must first register through the CITES Wiki Identification Manual. Once registered, 

users can apply to be content editors by sending a request by email to the Identification Manual administrator, 

with a brief indication of their areas of interest and expertise. Only information on identification 

characteristics can be added to or modified within the CITES Wiki Identification Manual. All 

additions and changes are subject to review before appearing in the Manual, and they are attributed 

to the submitter. 

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5. At the time of writing (January 2011), there were 275 registered users, 15 of whom had requested 

editing rights. Edits had been made to 34 sheets (mostly additions to ORCHIDACEAE). A new sheet 

for Lodoicea maldivica, included in Appendix III at the request of Seychelles, had been prepared and 

added to the database by the Department of Environment of Seychelles and the Seychelles Islands 

Foundation. The Secretariat is grateful to the Government of Seychelles and to the expert contributors 

for these important contributions. 

6. The first year of use of the CITES Wiki Identification Manual has helped identify areas where the database 

needs improvement and modification, such as speed and ease of use, providing linkages to 

other CITES resources and making available taxonomic group descriptions, keys and other general 

information. The Secretariat has explored the possibility of making the database usable on hand-held 

devices and is seeking funds to make these and other improvements, so as to develop the database 

as an easily-accessible and practical identification resource. 

7. The Secretariat invites Parties, organizations and experts to contribute content to the CITES Wiki 

Identification Manual, available at http://www.cites.org/eng/resources/wiki_id.shtml. 

8. The Committee is invited to note this report. 

NEWS 

ICCWC begins its work 

(http://www.cites.org/eng/news/sundry/2011/20110301_ICCWC.shtml) 

The Senior Experts Group of the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) met last 

week at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Vienna, Austria. 

Opened by Mr Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of UNODC, the meeting provided an opportunity for specialized 

staff of the five partner agencies to plan ICCWC activities in the short and mid-term. 

Experts agreed to develop a comprehensive programme of work. This programme will exploit the expertise 

of the agencies and target organized crime associated with the illegal trade in endangered species. 

Whilst some efforts may be designed around the trade in high-profile species, such as elephants, rhinoceros, 

snow leopards and tigers, the Consortium’s activities will not be only species-specific. Similarly, although 

some specific trafficking routes, such as those from Africa to Asia, will receive special attention, 

ICCWC will operate at a global level. 

The Consortium committed to the following in 2011: 

• A senior-level seminar involving Customs and the police from the 13 countries in Asia where tigers 

are still found in the wild; 

• Supporting the CITES Ivory and Rhinoceros Enforcement Task Force in bringing together law enforcement 

officials from countries affected by illegal trade in elephant and rhinoceros parts and products, 

to design strategies to combat such trade and facilitate the exchange of intelligence about those involved; 

• Providing training support to officials in the recently-established South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network; 

and 

• Completing a toolkit on Wildlife and Forest Crime, which countries can use to review their current response 

to such crimes (noting 2011 is the International Year of Forests). 

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The largest project for 2011, however, will be a programme to establish Controlled Delivery Units in 

countries affected by trafficking in wildlife, especially illegal logging. In a pilot phase, this will offer capacity 

building to Customs, the police and prosecutors from about 20 countries in Africa and Asia, so that 

they can quickly respond to illegal shipments that are detected whilst being transported from one country 

to another, and one continent to another. The project will also seek to guide national law enforcement 

agencies to follow the money throughout the criminal chain, targeting the profits of organized crime 

groups and networks. 

John M. Sellar, Chief of Enforcement Support in the CITES Secretariat, who chaired the ICCWC meeting, 

said: “The senior experts are excited by the opportunities that the Consortium provides to help countries 

bring to justice those criminals who seek to rob countries of their natural resources and exploit local 

communities in some of the world’s poorest nations. ICCWC is an unprecedented attempt to ‘mainstream’ 

the fight against wildlife crime, by interacting with relevant officials throughout the whole criminal justice 

system. CITES is proud and honoured to be collaborating with colleagues from international intergovernmental 

organizations, who bring decades of experience and who are respected worldwide in their specialized 

fields of work.” 

CITES NOTIFICATIONS 

(Here we carry the operational part of Notifications issued by the CITES Secretariat that bear relevance to the Parties in South Asia 

– Editor) 

Notification No. 2011/020 Geneva, 23 February 2011 

CONCERNING: Job openings 

1. The Secretariat hereby transmits to the Parties details of two job openings for the posts of Senior 

Programme Officer (Chief of Enforcement Support) and Programme Officer (Enforcement Support Officer) 

within the Secretariat. The first post will become vacant in September this year upon the retirement 

of the current Chief of Enforcement Support. The second post results from a budgetary decision 

taken at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (Doha, 2010), which was planned to take 

effect in 2012. However, the Secretariat has been able to identify funding to allow recruitment to take 

place this year. 

2. The Management and Enforcement Authorities of the Parties are requested to provide copies of the 

attached documents to potential candidates for these posts. 

3. Applications for these posts should be made through the United Nations on-line INSPIRA system, accessed 

via the following link: http://careers.un.org. 


CONCERNING: CITES and National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans under the Convention on Biological 

Diversity 

1. The present Notification to the Parties has been prepared by the CITES Secretariat in consultation with 

the Secretariats of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and of the Global Environment Facility 

(GEF). 

4


2. The CITES Strategic Vision: 2008-2013 comprises three interrelated goals. Goal 3 is to “Contribute to 

significantly reducing the rate of biodiversity loss by ensuring that CITES and other multilateral instruments 

and processes are coherent and mutually supportive.” In addition, the Memorandum of 

Cooperation between the CITES and CBD Secretariats states that “the secretariats will consult their 

Contracting Parties with a view to encouraging integration and consistency between national strategies, 

plans or programmes under the Convention on Biological Diversity and plans or programmes 

under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.” 

3. The secretariats of the biodiversity-related conventions have been working together to help Parties 

achieve a more coherent and mutually supportive implementation of the conventions at the national 

level. 

4. At its 10th meeting (Nagoya, 2010), the Conference of the Parties to CBD adopted a number of Decisions 

that are of relevance to the implementation of CITES plans and programmes. 

5. In Decision X/2, the CBD Conference adopted a Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the Aichi 

Biodiversity Targets which it recognizes as "a useful flexible framework that is relevant to all biodiversity-related 

conventions". In paragraph 3) of this Decision, the CBD Conference urges CBD Parties 

to develop national targets in line with the Strategic Plan and to update their national biodiversity 

strategies and action plans (NBSAPs), where appropriate. Moreover, in subparagraph 3 (f), it urges 

CBD Parties to: 

Support the updating of national biodiversity strategies and action plans as effective instruments to 

promote the implementation of the Strategic Plan and mainstreaming of biodiversity at the national 

level, taking into account synergies among the biodiversity-related conventions in a manner consistent 

with their respective mandates. 

6. Furthermore, in paragraph 3 of Decision X/5 on Implementation of the Convention and the Strategic 

Plan, the CBD Conference invites CBD Parties to: 

involve national level focal points of all the biodiversity-related agreements, as appropriate, in the 

process of updating and implementation of national biodiversity strategies and action plans and related 

enabling activities. 

7. Finally, in paragraph 7. c) of the same Decision, it requests the CBD Executive Secretary, subject to 

the availability of resources, to: 

collaborate with the secretariats of other biodiversity-related conventions to facilitate the participation 

of national focal points of these agreements, as appropriate, in the updating and implementation of 

national biodiversity strategies and action plans and related enabling activities. 

8. With the support of Japan and other donors, the CBD Secretariat is organizing a series of regional or 

sub-regional workshops to: assist Parties in updating their NBSAPs, including development of national 

targets; help facilitate national implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020; and 

translate the Strategic Plan into national targets and commitments. The workshops will be announced 

by the CBD Secretariat, with the first one being a workshop for southern Africa on 14-20 March 2011, 

in Kasane (Botswana). 

9. Activities identified in the NBSAPs of developing countries and countries with economies in transition 

will be better placed to attract financial resources, especially from GEF, the financial mechanism of 

the CBD. The GEF provides financial resources to country-driven projects and activities that are 

aligned with COP decisions, the GEF biodiversity strategy and that are prioritized in NBSAPs. 

5


10. When revising and updating their NBSAPs, Parties are therefore invited to consider integrating national 

and regional CITES activities that contribute to the effective implementation of the Strategic 

Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, and the conservation and sustainable 

use of wild fauna and flora, as appropriate. 

11. CITES Management Authorities are encouraged to engage directly with the national CBD focal point 

in advance of the workshop, and throughout the process of updating NBSAPs, in order to explore possibilities 

of their participation in the workshops, where appropriate, and to identify relevant CITES activities 

that could be included into the revised and updated NBSAPs. The contact details of national 

CBD focal points can be found at www.cbd.int/information/nfp.shtml. 

12. Further information on the workshops is available from the CBD website at www.cbd.int/nbsap or on 

the CITES calendar at http://www.cites.org/eng/news/calendar.shtml. 

13. The CITES Secretariat is preparing practical guidance on integrating CITES commitments into 

NBSAPs and on developing GEF project proposals, which it will circulate in a future Notification. 


CONCERNING: CITES contribution to the National Portfolio Formulation Exercise of the Global Environment 

Facility 

1. This Notification has been prepared by the CITES Secretariat in consultation with the Secretariat of the 

Global Environment Facility (GEF). 

2. The GEF is the financial mechanism of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). It provides financial 

resources to Parties for activities that are included in the National Portfolio Formulation Exercises 

(NPFEs). The NPFEs are designed to enable the eligible countries to select the projects for GEF resource 

programming covering the GEF-5 period. NPFEs are currently on-going for the fifth replenishment 

period of the GEF (2010-2014). 

3. Activities related to the protection of certain species of wild fauna and flora against over-exploitation 

through international trade could be included in these NPFEs, if they are a priority for the country. 

Projects and programmes for sustainable use and conservation of species of wild fauna and flora that 

generate global environmental benefits identified during the NPFE of a country may be relevant for 

the further implementation of Resolution Conf. 10.4 (Rev. CoP14) and CITES Strategic Vision: 2008- 

2013, and alignment of its goals into GEF-funded activities. 

4. The Biodiversity Strategy for GEF-5 includes in its five strategic objectives many of the same targets 

and activities as identified in the CITES Strategic Vision: 2008-2013. More information on the GEF 

Biodiversity Strategy is available from the GEF focal points. 

5. Parties are encouraged to proactively engage with their GEF operational focal points during prioritysetting 

consultations. The list of GEF Focal Points is available on the GEF website at http:// 

www.thegef.org/gef/focal_points_list. Please contact them if interested to attend the NPFE consultations 

or gain further information on the GEF-funded activities in their country. 

6. Parties' attention is also drawn to Objective Five of the Biodiversity Strategy for GEF-5 that has set 

aside funds to support NBSAPs. More information is available from the GEF focal points. 

7. Further information on the NPFEs can be found on the GEF website (http://www.thegef.org/gef/ 

National_Portfolio_Formulation_Exercises) and further information on NBSAPs on the CBD website at 

www.cbd.int/nbsap. 

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Notification No. 2011/023 Geneva, 7 March 2011 

CONCERNING: Transport of live specimens 

1. At its 15th meeting (CoP15, Doha, 2010), the Conference of the Parties adopted Decision 15.59 on 

Transport of live specimens which provides that: 

The Animals and Plants Committees, in consultation with the Secretariat, should: 

a) proceed with replacing the CITES Guidelines for transport and preparation for shipment of wild animals 

and plants (1981) with new guidelines for non-air transport of live animals and plants for consideration 

at the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP16); 

b) consult and liaise with relevant transport experts and other stakeholders, inter alia, to gather information 

related to non-air transport; 

c) review and propose revisions to Resolution Conf. 10.21 (Rev. CoP14) and Resolution Conf. 12.3 (Rev. 

CoP15) for consideration at CoP16; and 

d) report on the implementation of this decision at CoP16. 

2. To facilitate the work of the Animals and Plants Committees under Decision 15.59, Parties are invited 

to provide the Secretariat with: 

a) any available legislation, guidelines, codes of conduct or other information on transport standards related 

to non-air transport; and 

b) contact information for any identified experts on non-air transport of CITES-listed species. 

3. Parties are encouraged to provide, at their earliest convenience and preferably by 31 August 2011, the 

information described in paragraph 2 above. Parties are welcome to contribute as well any experience, 

views or ideas that might help with the effective implementation of Decision 15.59. 

CITES CALENDAR 

(We carry here information about such events in the CITES calendar which directly impact or relate to the CITES Parties in South 

Asia region - Editor) 

11-14 April 2011: CITES Asian snake trade workshop, Guangzhou, China 

15-19 April 2011: Regional workshop for Europe on updating National Biodiversity Strategies and Action 

Plans, Isle of Vilm, Germany 

17 April 2011: Deadline for submission of applications for the post of Chief of Enforcement Support (see 

Notification to the Parties No. 2011/020) 

18-21 April 2011 - 19th meeting of the CITES Plants Committee, Geneva, Switzerland 

23 April 2011: Deadline for submission of applications for the post of Enforcement Support Officer (see 

Notification to the Parties No. 2011/020) 

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9-16 May 2011: Regional workshop for east, south and southeast Asia on updating National Biodiversity 

Strategies and Action Plans, Xi'an, China 

14-18 May 2011: Second International Marine Conservation Conference (Symposium: Integrating science 

and policy: how scientists can help CITES advance marine conservation). Victoria, Canada 

17-20 May 2011: Symposium: The relevance of community-based natural resource management 

(CBNRM) to the conservation and sustainable use of CITES-listed species in exporting countries. Agenda 

and Terms of Reference for the Working Groups. Vienna, Austria 

19 May 2011: Deadline for the submission of documents for consideration at the 25th meeting of the 

CITES Animals Committee 

24-26 May 2011: Meeting of the Standing Committee Working Group on Introduction from the Sea, Bergen, 

Norway 

16 June 2011: Deadline for the submission of documents for consideration at the 61st meeting of the 

CITES Standing Committee 

18-22 July 2011: 25th meeting of the CITES Animals Committee, Geneva, Switzerland 

15-19 August 2011 - 61st meeting of the CITES Standing Committee, Geneva, Switzerland 

NOTABLE SEIZURES 

(We carry here relevant information on recent seizures of wildlife items from countries in South Asia region – Editor) 

2 smugglers held with tiger skins (The Pioneer, New Delhi, 6 March 2011) 

Loni police have arrested two smugglers with two skins of tigers. The value of the skins in the international 

market is assessed to be at Rs 2 lakh. 

The police said during vehicular checking at Karawal Nagar check post under Loni police station on Friday, 

the police found two persons roaming in suspicious ways. 

Soon the police took them under their custody. During interrogation, they revealed that they were waiting 

for a person to get their articles smuggled into Delhi. The person had promised to pay Rs 2 lakh if the 

articles are smuggled safely into Delhi territory. They revealed their names as Om Pal and Raju both residents 

of Amar Colony Delhi. 

The police recovered the two tiger like skins from their possession whose market price are assessed at Rs 

2 lakh. 

"We have arrested them under wildlife protection Act and further investigation is going on to arrest their 

counterparts in Delhi," said Superintendent of Police (City) JK Shahi. 

NB: We would like to mention that we report seizures and news as they are reported in the media. While we do try to ascertain the 

correctness of the reports that we carry, we do not take any responsibility for the correctness or otherwise of the information as it 

is put out by the newspapers. We would nevertheless be glad to carry in our subsequent issue/s any correction to a report carried 

by us that any of our esteemed reader may like to bring to our notice – Editor) 

8

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