Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an international agreement between governments which aims to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. All imports, exports, re-exports, and introduction from the sea of species covered by the Convention have to be authorized through a standard permitting/licensing system.
Species subject to regulation are contained in three Appendices of the Convention:
- Appendix I includes species threatened with extinction which are prohibited from international commercial trade except in very specific circumstances (46 species in the Philippines)
- Appendix II includes species which may not be threatened with extinction but will require control in trade to avoid affecting their survival rate (1,955 species in the Philippines)
- Appendix III includes species protected in at least one party requesting other parties for assistance in trade control (only 6 species occur in the Philippines)
The Conference of the Parties, the governing body of the Convention, meets every two to three years to discuss progress and issues in CITES implementation, adopt decisions and resolutions to address such issues and decide on species to be covered by CITES control. The CITES works through the Management and Scientific Authorities of each member-country.
Species subject to regulation are contained in three Appendices of the Convention:
- Appendix I includes species threatened with extinction which are prohibited from international commercial trade except in very specific circumstances (46 species in the Philippines)
- Appendix II includes species which may not be threatened with extinction but will require control in trade to avoid affecting their survival rate (1,955 species in the Philippines)
- Appendix III includes species protected in at least one party requesting other parties for assistance in trade control (only 6 species occur in the Philippines)
The Conference of the Parties, the governing body of the Convention, meets every two to three years to discuss progress and issues in CITES implementation, adopt decisions and resolutions to address such issues and decide on species to be covered by CITES control. The CITES works through the Management and Scientific Authorities of each member-country.
- Focal Office:
- Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB)
- Date Ratified:
- August 18, 1981
- Focal Persons/Offices:
- HON. ROY A. CIMATU
Secretary, DENR
Tel. No. (632) 926 3011, 920 4301, 929 6626 loc 2258
FOR. RICARDO L. CALDERON
OIC-Assistant Secretary for Staff Bureaus and Director, DENR-BMB
Tel. Nos. (632) 924 6031 to 35 local 222, 925 8952 to 53
MS. NERMALIE M. LITA
Chief, Wildlife Regulation Section, Wildlife Resources Division, DENR-BMB
Tel. Nos. (632) 924 6031 to 35 local 222, 925 8952 to 53
MS. LORILIE R. SALVADOR
Wildlife Resources Division, DENR-BMB
Tel. No. (632) 925 8946, 925 8952, 925 8953 - Commitments:
- As a legally binding Convention, each Party must adopt national legislation to implement CITES' rules. This includes laws prohibiting trade in violation of the Convention, penalties for such trade, and laws providing for the confiscation of illegally traded specimens. Republic Act 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act is the national legislation to apply the provisions of the Convention.
Under RA 9147, the designated CITES Management Authorities (CMAs) in the Philippines are the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Biodiversity Management Bureau (DENR-BMB) for terrestrial wildlife, the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DENR-BFAR) for aquatic and marine species and the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (DENR-PCSD) for wildlife species found in the Province of Palawan. The designated CITES Scientific Authorities (CSAs) for terrestrial species are the Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (DENR-ERDB), the Philippine National Museum and the University of the Philippines-Los Banos. For marine and aquatic species, designated scientific authorities are DA-BFAR, UP Marine Science Institute, UP Visayas, Siliman University and the National Museum. CMAs are in charge of administering the licensing system while the CSAs advise the CMAs on whether exports are sustainable and not detrimental to the survival of a species in the wild.
The enforcement focal points are the BFAR, the Environmental Crime Division of the National Bureau of Investigation, Environmental Protection Unit of the Bureau of Customs, and the DENR-PCSD. They deal with illegal trafficking in CITES-listed species.
As a Party to the Convention, the Philippines is required to submit an annual report on CITES trade, illegal trade annual report and a biennial report (now called an implementation report) on legislative, regulatory, and administrative measures taken to enforce the Convention. - Policy Issuances:
- Republic Act 10654 of 2014 An Act to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing. Amending Republic Act 8550 Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998 (Sec. 11. Protection of Rare, Threatened and Endangered Species; Sec. 97. Fishing or Taking of Rare, Threatened or Endangered Species). RA 10654 has specific provisions that address and penalize unlawful catching, possession and transport of aquatic species (Section 102) listed in Appendices I, II and III of the CITES.
DENR-DAO No. 2017-11 Updated National List of Threatened Philippine Plants and Their Categories. The threatened plants include those that are listed under CITES Appendices. - Sources / Relevant Links:
- Status / Updates:
- The CITES Annual Trade Report and Annual Illegal Trade Report have been submitted for 2016 and 2017. Likewise, the Implementation Report for 2015 to 2017 was submitted following the structure of the CITES Strategic Vision: 2008-2020. The contents of the report include the following:
- Transfer of the Philippine pangolin from Appendix II to Appendix I (https:// cites.org/sites/default/files/eng/cop/17/prop/060216/E-CoP17-Prop-10.pdf)
- The CITES Electronic Permitting and Management Information System (CEMPIS) on terrestrial species was initiated by the BMB and is for pilot-testing within the National Capital Region.
- Enhancement of the CEPMIS to include data exchange with the Philippine Customs will be made after the pilot-testing.
- Development and pilot-testing of simplified procedure issuance of Certificate of Exemption instead of CITES Export Permit for products made of specimens from saltwater crocodile produced by CITES-registered captive-breeding facilities.
- To address illegal wildlife trade, the DENR-BMB undertook the following: implementation of the National Ivory Action Plan (NIAP); collaboration with the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC); cooperation with the ASEAN Enforcement Network; crafted the Philippine Wildlife Law Enforcement Action Plan in CY 2017; operationalized the Philippine Operations Group on Ivory and Illegal Wildlife Trade (POGI); worked with National Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee (NALECC), and is signatory to the London and Hanoi Declarations;.
- In partnership with the University of the Philippines Diliman, the country has the capacity to use forensic technology to support the investigation of CITES offences.
International trade by two wildlife farm permit holders was suspended due to the alteration of their CITES permits and acquisition of undocumented wildlife stocks.
- Capacity-building programmes are in place, such as the CITES Virtual College. More than five trainings and capacity building activities were done from 2015 to 2017 by the Philippine government without the assistance from the CITES Secretariat. - Latest Activites:
- - Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Capacity Development Workshop on Applying CITES Source Codes; Monitoring and Controlling Captive-breeding and Ranching Facilities for all Taxa; and on Making of Non-detriment Findings (NDF) for Trade CITES-Listed Snakes, 1-4 May 2018; Bogor, Indonesia Ms. Nermalie M. Lita (BMB)
- CITES Meeting regarding the implementation of the National Ivory action Plans (NIAPs), 1-4 May 2018; Maputo, Mozambique Ms. Josefina L. De Leon (BMB)
- East and Southeast Asia Biodiversity Information Initiative (ESABII) Workshop of Trainers on Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species on Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Policies and Identification of Threatened Species, 31 January-3 Feb 2017; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Ms. Lorilie R. Salvador (BMB), Mr. Ricky J. Hernandez (DENR Reg. 3)
- Ministerial Lekgotla and the 17th Conference of Parties (COP) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), 23 September-5 October 2016; South Africa DENR Usec. Ernesto D. Adobo Jr., Asst. Dir. Antonio D. Manila (BMB), Ms. Simplicia Pasicolan (ERDB), Ms. Josefina L. De Leon (BMB), Dr. Esteven U. Toledo (BMB)
- Regional Joint Preparatory Meetings of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Representatives Prior to the Upcoming Meetings of the Respective Conference of the Parties, 1-5 August 2016; Bangkok, Thailand Dir. Adelina B. Benavente-Villena (PCSD), Ms. Nermalie Lita (BMB), Ms. Levita A. Lagrada (PCSD) - Related Projects:
- Some projects in relation to CITES that the Philippines is implementing include the following:
- USAID-Protect Wildlife (PW) Project (June 2016-June 2020). This project aims to reduce threats to Philippine biodiversity, such as poaching and the illegal trade of wildlife products and improve ecosystem goods and services. It is implemented in the provinces of Palawan, Zamboanga, and Tawi-tawi.
- ADB/GEF-DENR Project "Combating Environmental Organized Crime in the Philippines" (October 2018-October 2021). This project aims to combat organized environmental crime in the Philippines through legal and institutional reform, capacity building in the law enforcement chain and demand reduction measures. Project sites are in Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Butuan City. - Next Steps:
- - Deliberation of CITES Strategic Vision for 2021-2030 during the 18th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES on 17 to 28 August 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland
- Operationalization of the CITES Electronic Permitting and Management Information System
- Establishment of a Wildlife Forensics Laboratory in collaboration with the UP Diliman Institute of Biological Sciences
- Address training needs on Wildlife and Forest Crime Analytic Toolkit in collaboration with ICCWC, money laundering in relation to wildlife trafficking, and combating organized wildlife crime involving foreign nationals
- Establishment of a scheme to facilitate disposition of confiscated specimens because currently, specimens with pending court cases cannot be disposed based on existing policies.
This Page was updated on 25 January 2016 and will be updated on 10 December 2020