Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES); Fifteenth Regular Meeting; Tentative U.S. Negotiating Positions for Agenda Items and Species Proposals Submitted by Foreign Governments and the CITES Secretariat, 11556-11557 [2010-5458]

Agencies

• Fish and Wildlife Service
• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 47 (Thursday, March 11, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11556-11557]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-5458]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R9-IA-2010-N048]


Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International 
Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES); Fifteenth 
Regular Meeting; Tentative U.S. Negotiating Positions for Agenda Items 
and Species Proposals Submitted by Foreign Governments and the CITES 
Secretariat

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: We, the United States, as a Party to the Convention on 
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora 
(CITES), will attend the fifteenth regular meeting of the Conference of 
the Parties to CITES (CoP15) in Doha, Qatar, during March 13-25, 2010. 
This notice announces the availability of tentative U.S. negotiating 
positions on amendments to the CITES Appendices (species proposals), 
draft resolutions and decisions, and agenda items submitted by other 
countries and the CITES Secretariat for consideration at CoP15. All of 
this information is on our website at https://www.fws.gov/international/newspubs/fedregnot_list.html and is also available from the U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife Service, Division of Management Authority.

DATES: In further developing U.S. negotiating positions on these 
issues, we will continue to consider information and comments submitted 
in response to our notice of November 4, 2009 (74 FR 57190). We will 
also continue to consider information received at the public meeting 
announced in that notice, which was held on December 2, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of tentative U.S. negotiating positions 
on amendments to the CITES Appendices (species proposals), draft 
resolutions and decisions, and agenda items submitted by other 
countries and the CITES Secretariat for consideration at CoP15 posted 
on our website should be sent to the Division of Management Authority; 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 North Fairfax Drive; Room 212; 
Arlington, VA 22203; or via e-mail at: cop15@fws.gov.

Available Information on CoP15

    Information concerning the results of CoP15 will be available after 
the close of the meeting on the Secretariat's website at https://www.cites.org; or upon request from the Division of Management 
Authority; or on our website (https://www.fws.gov/international/DMA_DSA/CITES/CITES_home.html).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information pertaining to 
resolutions, decisions, and agenda items contact: Robert R. Gabel, 
Chief, Division of Management Authority; telephone, 703-358-2095; e-
mail, cop15@fws.gov. For information pertaining to species proposals 
contact: Dr. Rosemarie Gnam, Chief, Division of Scientific Authority; 
telephone, 703-358-1708; e-mail, scientificauthority@fws.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild 
Fauna and Flora, hereinafter referred to as CITES or the Convention, is 
an international treaty designed to control and regulate international 
trade in certain animal and plant species that are now or potentially 
may become threatened with extinction. These species are listed in 
Appendices to CITES, which are available on the CITES Secretariat's 
website at https://www.cites.org/eng/app/appendices.shtml. Currently, 
175 countries, including the United States, are Parties to CITES. The 
Convention calls for biennial meetings of the Conference of the Parties 
to review its implementation, make provisions enabling the CITES 
Secretariat to carry out its functions, consider amendments to the 
lists of species in Appendices I and II, consider reports presented by 
the Secretariat, and make recommendations for the improved 
effectiveness of CITES. Any country that is a Party to CITES may 
propose amendments to Appendices I and II, and draft resolutions, 
decisions, and agenda items for consideration by all the Parties. 
Accredited nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) may participate in the 
meeting as approved observers and may speak during sessions when 
recognized by the meeting Chairman, but they may not vote or submit 
proposals.
    This is our fourth in a series of Federal Register notices on the 
development of U.S. submissions and tentative negotiating positions for 
CoP15. In this notice we announce the availability on our website of 
tentative U.S. negotiating positions on species proposals, draft 
resolutions and decisions, and agenda items submitted by other Parties 
and the Secretariat for consideration at CoP15. All of this information 
is also available from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of 
Management Authority (see ``ADDRESSES,'' above). We published our first 
CoP15-related Federal Register notice on September 29, 2008 (73 FR 
56605), and with it we requested information and recommendations on 
species proposals, draft resolutions and decisions, and agenda items 
for the United States to consider submitting for consideration at 
CoP15. We published our second such Federal Register notice on July 13, 
2009 (74 FR 33460), and with it we requested public comments and 
information on species proposals, draft resolutions and decisions, and 
agenda items that the United States was considering submitting for

[[Page 11557]]

consideration at CoP15. In our third Federal Register notice, published 
on November 4, 2009 (74 FR 57190), we announced the provisional agenda 
for CoP15, solicited public comments on items on the provisional 
agenda, and announced a public meeting to discuss the agenda items. 
That public meeting was held on December 2, 2009.
    You may obtain information on the above Federal Register notices 
from the following sources. For information on draft resolutions and 
decisions, and agenda items, contact the Division of Management 
Authority (see ``ADDRESSES,'' above); and for information on species 
proposals, contact the Division of Scientific Authority (see 
``ADDRESSES,'' above). Our regulations governing this public process 
are found in 50 CFR 23.87. Pursuant to 50 CFR 23.87(a)(3)(iii), with 
this notice we are posting on our website (https://www.fws.gov/international/newspubs/fedregnot_list.html) a summary of our proposed 
negotiating positions on the items included in the CoP15 agenda and 
proposed amendments to the Appendices, and the reasons for our proposed 
positions.

Tentative Negotiating Positions

    On our website (https://www.fws.gov/international/newspubs/fedregnot_list.html), we summarize the tentative U.S. negotiating 
positions on proposals to amend the Appendices (species proposals), 
draft resolutions and decisions, and agenda items that have been 
submitted by other countries and the CITES Secretariat. Documents 
submitted by the United States either alone or as a co-proponent for 
consideration by the Parties at CoP15 can be found on the Secretariat's 
website at: https://www.cites.org/eng/cop/index.shtml. Those documents 
are: CoP15 Docs. 36, 41.3, 41.4, 41.5, 48, 54, and 67. The United 
States, either alone or as a co-proponent, submitted the following 
proposals to amend Appendices I and II: CoP15 Props. 2, 3, 15, 16, 21, 
25, 28, and 31. We will not provide any additional explanation of the 
U.S. negotiating position for documents and proposals that the United 
States submitted. The introduction in the text of each of the documents 
the United States submitted contains a discussion of the background of 
the issue and the rationale for submitting the document.
    AUTHOR: This notice was prepared by Clifton A. Horton, Division of 
Management Authority; under the authority of the U.S. Endangered 
Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).

    Dated: March 5, 2010
Daniel M. Ashe
Acting Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
[FR Doc. 2010-5458 Filed 3-9-10; 4:15 pm]
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