No. 715                                 Lausanne, 21 December 1992


CONCERNING:


Analysis of National Legislation for Implementation of the Convent
ion


1.Resolution  Conf.  8.4,  adopted at the eighth  meeting  of  the
  Conference   of   the  Parties  (Kyoto,  1992),   directed   the
  Secretariat, within available resources:

       "to  identify those Parties whose domestic measures do  not
     provide them with the authority to: i) designate at least one
     Management    Authority   and   one   Scientific   Authority;
     ii)   prohibit  trade  in  specimens  in  violation  of   the
     Convention;  iii)  penalize such  trade;  or  iv)  confiscate
     specimens illegally traded or possessed".

2.An  analysis of national legislation for implementation  of  the
  Convention  will  be carried out by the IUCN  Environmental  Law
  Centre  (the  ELC)  and TRAFFIC USA, on behalf  of  the  TRAFFIC
  network, through contracts with the Secretariat.

3.The  ELC  and  TRAFFIC will be requesting, from  the  Management
  Authorities  of  certain  Parties, copies  of  current  national
  legislation that pertains to the following aspects of  trade  in
  specimens of CITES species (including plants):

     a)   The import, export, and transit of CITES specimens;

     b)   The internal trade in and possession of CITES specimens;
     and

     c)   Penalties (including confiscation) for violations of the
     provisions of such legislation.

  Many  Management Authorities will also receive a draft  analysis
  of   their  national  legislation  for  implementation  of   the
  Convention, for review and comment.

4.The  Parties  are urged to co-operate fully, and as  rapidly  as
  possible, with regard to any information on national legislation
  that is requested by either the ELC or TRAFFIC.  Therefore,  the
  Secretariat asks that each Management Authority that receives  a
  request   for  information  from  the  ELC  or  TRAFFIC   accept
  responsibility  for  providing  the  information  and,  whenever
  necessary,  undertake to obtain it from any  other  governmental
  source.
5.It  is  the objective of the Secretariat to have as accurate  an
  analysis  as possible available to the Parties, for  review  and
  comment, at the ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties.

6.Following the analysis, the Secretariat will then work to assist
  those  Parties  in  need of CITES legislation,  as  directed  by
  Resolution Conf. 8.4. Therefore, it is very important  that  the
  Parties notify the Secretariat on a regular basis of any changes
  that   have   been  made  to  their  national  legislation   and
  regulations for CITES implementation.