PC25 Doc. 23 Add
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Original language: English PC25 Doc. 23 Addendum CONVENTION ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN ENDANGERED SPECIES OF WILD FAUNA AND FLORA ___________________ Twenty-fifth meeting of the Plants Committee Online, 2-4,21 and 23 June 2021 Interpretation and implementation matters Regulation of trade ADDENDUM TO SPECIMENS GROWN FROM WILD-COLLECTED SEEDS OR SPORES THAT ARE DEEMED TO BE ARTIFICIALLY PROPAGATED 1. This document has been prepared by the Secretariat, in consultation with the representative of Oceania (Mr. Damian Wrigley), as the Plants Committee’s co-lead for Decisions 18.179 and 18.180 on Specimens grown from wild-collected seeds or spores that are deemed to be artificially propagated (see PC25 Doc. 7.2). Updates on progress since May 2020 2. Following the postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic of the 25th meeting of the Plants Committee (PC25), scheduled to take place from 17 to 23 July 2020, the Committee took several intersessional decisions (see Notification to the Parties No. 2020/056 of 21 September 2020), including the approval of its workplan for 2020-2022 as outlined in document PC25 Doc. 7.2. Through its workplan, the Plants Committee agreed on the leads for the implementation of Decisions 18.179 and 18.180, as follows: Damian Wrigley, representative of Oceania; Daniel Wolf, alternate representative of Europe; and Shereefa Al-Salem, alternate representative of Asia. 3. In support of Decisions 18.179 and 18.180 on Specimens grown from wild-collected seeds or spores that are deemed to be artificially propagated, the Secretariat requested the World Conservation Monitoring Centre of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP-WCMC) to develop an analysis of the legal trade in Appendix-I artificially propagated plants (source codes A and D in the CITES trade database), including an assessment of conservation benefits to wild populations and any adverse effects of the conservation of Appendix-I species that have been subject to the implementation of paragraph 4 of Resolution Conf. 11.11 (Rev. CoP18) on Regulation of trade in plants. 4. The resulting report is included in the Annex to the present addendum, including the following key findings: a) According to the CITES trade database, international trade in artificially propagated Appendix I taxa consists primarily of exports of Araucaria araucana [Monkey puzzle tree] and orchids. Between 2009 and 2018, 529,415 live specimens of A. araucana were exported globally, approximately 525,500 specimens of which originated from the two registered nurseries in Chile under source code A. The species A. araucana is the most traded artificially propagated Appendix-I plant species. b) Three Parties (Chile, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Africa) were identified as potentially implementing the exemption outlined in paragraph 4 of Resolution Conf. 11.11 (Rev. CoP18). Further consultations with the respective CITES Management and Scientific Authorities were carried out by email in January 2021, and responses were received from Chile and South Africa. Chile is the only Party currently known to be implementing the exemption. South Africa implemented the exemption for Encephalartos latifrons, but to date no exports have taken place for any material from propagation. It is assumed that the Democratic Republic of Congo is not currently implementing the exemption. PC25 Doc. 23, Addendum – p. 1 c) Benefits: Incentives for indigenous communities in Chile and private landowners in South Africa are put in place to protect and preserve species for in-situ conservation and sustainable management of Appendix-I listed species. Ex-situ production of plant material is used for restoration purposes in Chile and South Africa. It is further noted that illegally harvested material from the wild could be reduced by satisfying the demand with artificially propagated CITES Appendix-I species. d) Adverse effects: Available data on A. araucana from Chile seems to indicate that illegal trade does not pose a risk to the species. However, additional data from CITES annual illegal trade reports would be needed to evaluate illegal trade. South Africa noted that wild E. latifrons continues to decline due to poaching and regeneration of wild population may have been affected considerably by the harvest of male cones of wild plants. Revised recommendations 5. The Plants Committee is invited to: a) review the report on Decision 18.179 contained in the Annex to this addendum; b) consider conservation benefits to wild populations and any adverse effects on the conservation of Appendix-I species that have been subject to the implementation of paragraph 4 of Resolution Conf. 11.11 (Rev. CoP18) on Regulation of trade in plants; c) consider whether any amendments to paragraph 4 of Resolution Conf. 11.11 (Rev. CoP18) are warranted; and d) report on the outcomes and recommendations of this work to the Standing Committee, as appropriate. PC25 Doc. 23, Addendum – p. 2 UNEP-WCMC technical report IMPLEMENTATION OF PARAGRAPH 4 OF RESOLUTION CONF. 11.11 (REV. COP18) An assessment of the exception allowing specimens grown from wild collected seeds or spores to be deemed as artificially propagated in support of Decision 18.179 CONFIDENTIAL Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................... 1 Key findings ............................................................................................................................................ 1 Background ................................................................................................................................................ 4 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 6 Methods...................................................................................................................................................... 7 Overview of CITES trade in artificially propagated plants ........................................................................ 9 Global trade in artificially propagated plants (source codes A and D) of Appendix I-listed taxa ....... 9 Global illegal trade in artificially propagated plants (source codes A and D) of Appendix I-listed taxa ............................................................................................................................................................... 12 Current implementation of the exception outlined in paragraph 4 of Resolution Conf. 11.11 (Rev. CoP18) ...................................................................................................................................................... 14 Identification of Parties with registered nurseries ............................................................................. 14 Consultation with Parties currently implementing the exception outlined in paragraph 4 of Resolution Conf. 11.11 (Rev. CoP18) .................................................................................................. 15 Trade in artificially propagated plants (source codes A and D) of Appendix I-listed taxa from range States with registered nurseries .......................................................................................................... 15 Cost-benefit analysis ............................................................................................................................... 18 References ............................................................................................................................................... 23 Annex ........................................................................................................................................................ 25 i Executive Summary This report provides a review of the implementation of paragraph 4 of Resolution Conf. 11.11 (Rev. CoP18) in support of the Plants Committee fulfilling Decision 18.179. It provides the following: an assessment of the scale at which Parties are currently implementing the exception allowing plant specimens grown from wild seeds or spores to be deemed as artificially propagated; a global overview of legal, international trade in Appendix I artificially propagated plants under source codes A and D; a global overview of illegal, international trade in all Appendix-I listed plant taxa; a cost/benefit analysis of the exception; and recommendations for consideration by the CITES Plants Committee. Key findings Only two Parties to CITES are currently known to implement the exception outlined in paragraph 4 of Resolution Conf. 11.11 (Rev. CoP18) on the Regulation of trade in plants: Chile is actively exporting plant material of the Appendix I tree Araucaria araucana (Monkey puzzle tree); and South Africa has reported implementing this provision for one species of cycad, Encephalartos latifrons (Albany cycad). For the latter, this involves active management of one population of the species, but South Africa has not yet reported any exports from this programme. Although the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has a registered nursery from which exports of the Appendix I-listed Encephalartos laurentianus could take place under the exception, no exports of artificially propagated specimens have been reported to date. Overview of trade According to the CITES Trade Database, international trade in artificially propagated Appendix I taxa consists primarily of exports of A. araucana and