CITES species review – Are you impacted?
The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) is calling for feedback on a number of species which will be discussed at the next Conference of the Parties (CoP20) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
The listing of a species under CITES means that import and export of that species is regulated and often requires an import or export permit issued by DCCEEW.
At the November conference, countries will decide whether to change international trade regulations for animal and plant species. There are proposed changes to the regulation of the following species/specimens, including several proposals relating to trade in:
- Galeorhinus galeus and Mustelus spp. (School shark, gummy shark and other smoothhounds)
- Centrophoridae spp. (Gulper sharks)
- Glaucostegus spp. (Guitarfishes)
- Rhinidae spp. (Wedgefishes)
- Anguilla spp. (Freshwater eels)
- Holothuria lessoni (Golden sandfish sea cucumber)
- Actinopyga echinites, A. mauritiana, A. miliaris, A. lecanora, A. palauensis and A. varians (sea cucumbers including surf redfish and deepwater redfish)
- Carcharhinus longimanus (Oceanic whitetip shark)
- Rhincodon typus (Whale shark)
- Mobulidae spp. (Manta and devil rays)
DCCEEW is seeking feedback on what these changes might mean for our industry, including:
- Which of the species/products you trade in, and how they are sourced (e.g. wild sourced, produced in a controlled environment like a captive breeding program etc.)
- Estimated number/volume of specimens exported and/or imported per year (each year for the last five years)
- Estimated average harvest levels for species that are harvested within Australia (each year for the last five years)
- Estimated number of shipments of specimens exported and/or imported per year (each year for the last five years)
- Estimated financial value of the import and/or export trade by your business/industry (each year for the last five years)
Should you have feedback and data to contribute, please contact Julie Petty at [email protected] by 28 August.
Decisions taken by CoP20 will come into effect on 5 March 2026, 90 days after the conclusion of the meeting, unless the CoP agrees to delay implementation of any decisions on amendments to the CITES Appendices
The full set of proposals to be considered at CoP20 can be found at CoP20 – amendment proposals, with additional agenda items at CoP20 – agenda papers.