CLOSED SESSION OF THE PLANTS COMMITTEE

2.    Terms of Reference of the Plants Committee

       Participants to consider the need for any proposed amendments to the Terms of Reference or Decision 11.110, for further discussion under ‘Any other business’ if necessary.

Parties, regional representatives

3.    Background of the work of the Plants Committee

       No action.

4.    Division of work between the members of the Plants Committee

       All regional directories should, as complete as possible, be submitted to the Secretariat for formatting and inclusion in the CITES website.

Regional representatives

5.    Action points of the tenth meeting of the Plants Committee

       Working group to discuss any necessary amendments to the proposed Rules of Procedure as presented in document PC11 Doc. 2.

Regional representatives of Africa (Luke), Asia (Zul), Central and South America and the Caribbean (Forero), North America (von Arx), Chairman, Secretariat

6.    Budget of the Plants Committee

       The Chairman to meet with the delegates from the United States of America to discuss the use of any remaining funds from their generous donation of USD 45,000 made at the latest meeting of the Plants Committee.

Chairman

7.    Agenda of the 11th meeting of the Plants Committee

       Adopted.

8     Time and venue of the 12th meeting of the Plants Committee

       The regional representative of Europe, on behalf of the Government of the Netherlands, offered to host the next meeting in Leiden, the Netherlands in May 2002.

Chairman, regional representative of Europe (de Koning)

OPEN SESSION OF THE PLANTS COMMITTEE

2.    Adoption of the Rules of Procedure

       The Plants Committee adopted the Rules of Procedure as revised by the working group and presented in document PC11 Doc. 2 Annex (Rev.)

Plants Committee

       The main points:

       –        proceedings to be presented in the same format as for previous PC meetings;

       –        submission of documents to the Secretariat 75 days before a PC meeting;

       –        distribution of documents to the members 40 days before a PC meeting;

       –        the role of the alternate representatives.

3.    Adoption of the Agenda and the Working programme

       The Agenda and Working Programme were adopted.

Plants Committee

4.    Admission of observers

       All observers were formally admitted.

5.    Regional reports and reports on regional meetings

       The Plants Committee revised their duties as defined in Decision 11.110. They removed unrealistic duties and also strengthened the need to contact countries non party to CITES.

       The revised duties to be included in the Chairman’s report to the CoP proposing amendments to Decision 11.110.

Chairman

6.    Regional directories

       Regional representatives of Africa and Central and South America and the Caribbean to submit written proposals to the Secretariat to obtain funding (see item 15 ‘Strategic planning’).

Regional representatives of Africa (Luke) and Central and South America and the Caribbean (Forero)

       Secretariat to request Management Authorities to provide still lacking information to the regional representatives.

Secretariat

No action.

       7.2     Second meeting of the Criteria Working Group

No action.

No action.

       8.2     Guaiacum sanctum

Project to continue by way of a survey of the Mexican population.

Mexico

                Mexico to submit an estimated budget to TRAFFIC and the Secretariat by the end of this meeting.

Mexico

                Mexico to submit a formal proposal to the Secretariat by the end of the month.

Mexico

                TRAFFIC to seek funds to support all or part of a population survey.

TRAFFIC

       8.3     Aquilaria spp.

                The agarwood working group document was approved and adopted.

       9.1     Harvesting techniques of Galanthus in Georgia

                Regional representatives to act as focal points for the collation of information pertaining to the various plant production processes.

Regional representatives of Africa (Luke), Asia (Zul), Central and South America and the Caribbean, (Forero) North America (von Arx), Europe (de Koning), Oceania (Leach)

                Vice-Chairman of the Plants Committee to communicate with the Secretariat to establish a mechanism to share information and collaborate with Animals Committee.

Vice-Chairman of the Plants Committee (von Arx), Secretariat

                 The authorities of Georgia and the Secretariat to look for a solution regarding source code to be included in export permits for Galanthus woronowii. It agreed that the bulbs currently harvested from agricultural fields are to be regarded as being of wild origin.

Secretariat, Georgia (MA and SA)

The observers from Georgia and Germany, Parties

                Text prepared by the Regional representatives of Central and South America and the Caribbean (Forero) and Oceania (Leach) was approved for inclusion in the summary document.

       9.2     Decision 11.155

                Collation of information on the definition of different production systems, source codes for sylvicultural techniques and the certification of sustainably managed forests and their compatibility with the scientific approach to making a non-detriment statement.

Secretariat

                Preparation of a document for presentation and discussion at the next meeting of the Plants Committee.

Secretariat

                The Committee approved the proposed text for standard exemptions for plant species.

                The United States of America and the Secretariat to discuss bilaterally, concerns regarding the revised text presented on flasked seedlings.

United States of America, Secretariat

       9.4     Definitions of the technical terms used in the annotations

                Colombia, France, Germany, Spain and the United States of America to collaborate and produce a document for presentation and discussion at the next meeting of the Plants Committee. This collaboration is to be coordinated by France.

Colombia (MA), Ecuador, France (coordinator), Germany, Spain (MA), United States of America, IUCN, TRAFFIC

       9.5     Exemptions for flasked seedlings

                It was agreed that there was no urgent need to change the text of the current exemptions.

10.  Species proposals for the 12th meeting of the Conference of the Parties

       10.1   Delisting of leaf-bearing cacti (Pereskioid and Opuntioid Cactaceae)

                10.1.1  Draft proposal by Switzerland

                and

                10.1.2  Comments from Mexico on document PC11 Doc. 10.1.1

                The Plants Committee recommended that the proposal by Switzerland be postponed pending further co-operation between range states and Switzerland.

Range states, Switzerland

11.  Significant trade in plants

       11.1   Problems and inconsistencies in Resolution Conf. 8.9 (Rev.) and Decision 11.117

                Consolidation of the Resolution and associated Decisions with regard to the Significant Trade Process.

Secretariat

                Establishment of a working group to collaborate with the equivalent working group convened by the Animals Committee.

Coordinator of the Significant Trade Process for plants (McGough) and the regional representatives of Asia (Zul), Africa (Akpagana), Central and South America and the Caribbean (Forero) and North America (von Arx)

                11.2.1   Trade in plants from Madagascar

                The Plants Committee supported the project proposal.

Secretariat

                11.2.2   Cycads

                The Plants Committee supported the concept outlined in document PC11 Doc. 11.2.2. However, it was recognized that the process would need to be divided into a series of stages to make it more manageable.

Secretariat

                11.2.3   Selection of taxa for review

                Working group established in order to provide guidance for the possible selection of taxa for review.

Coordinator of the Significant Trade Process for plants (McGough); regional representatives from Asia (Singh), Africa (Luke, Akpagana), Europe (de Koning), Oceania (Leach) and observers from Chile, Mexico, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, UNEP-WCMC, TRAFFIC, IUCN and the Secretariat

                The working group provided a list of taxa which the Secretariat will review ,in consultation with UNEP-WCMC and appropriate experts.

Secretariat and working group

                The Secretariat will then consult the Committee members in order to prioritize taxa for review.

Secretariat

                The Secretariat will then initiate the significant trade process for selected taxa.

Secretariat

12.  Medicinal plants

       12.1   Trade in Prunus africana

                The regional representative of Africa (Akpagana) supported the concept of document PC11 Inf. 9, but felt that it required additional information to provide a global view of the situation.

       12.2   Possible future activities

                The Plants Committee supported the document PC10 Inf. 10, that was presented for information only.

                Secretariat to try to find external funding for the proposal outlined in document PC11 Inf. 10.

Secretariat

                Working group to carry out a process similar to that which produced the list of Cactaceae commonly referred to as ‘supermarket plants’ and currently exempted from the provisions of the Convention.

Plants Committee’s coordinator for Significant Trade Studies (McGough), the Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States of America, the American Orchid Society, UNEP-WCMC, Secretariat

                The United States of America and the representative of the American Orchid Society (AOS) to produce a proposal to be presented at the next Plants Committee meeting.

United States of America and the American Orchid Society

13.2     Appendix-I Cactaceae

Mexico, Switzerland

                The regional representative of Central and South America and the Caribbean (Forero) to assist in contacting Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay to ask their opinion.

Regional representative of Central and South America and the Caribbean (Forero)

Parties and observers

14.  Checklists and nomenclature

       14.1   Progress report

                No action.

       14.2   Issues referred to the Nomenclature Committee

                No action.

       14.3   Masdevallia

                No action.

       14.4   Bulbophyllum

                Austria to prepare detailed proposal for 2nd phase of project for presentation to PC12 and to continue to seek funds.

Austria, in consultation with the Vice-Chairman of the Nomenclature Committee (McGough) and the Secretariat

                Chairman to submit to the Management Authority of Argentina the conclusions in paragraph 8 of document PC11 Doc. 14.5.

Chairman

       PC11 Inf. 18 A preliminary review of the application of the Convention to Fungi

                The Vice-Chairman of the Nomenclature Committee and the Secretariat to prepare a document requesting the CoP to decide on whether, in its opinion, the word ‘flora’ covers both Fungi and Plantae.

Vice Chairman of the Nomenclature Committee, Secretariat

15.  Strategic planning

       Chairman and Vice-Chairman to take note of ideas from all participants.

       Chairman and Vice-Chairman to prepare a new document for presentation at PC12.

Chairman, Vice-Chairman

       The Secretariat to provide the regional representatives (above) with a standard format for the application of funds.

Secretariat

       The regional representatives of Africa (Luke) and Central and South America and the Caribbean (Forero) to present their regional directories to PC12.

Regional representatives of Africa (Luke) and of Central and South America and the Caribbean (Forero)

       16.1   Progress report

                 No action.

       Vice-Chairman, possibly in collaboration with the Secretariat and Dr Irina Sprotte, to contact IATA with regard to guidelines for air transport of live plants.

Vice-Chairman, Secretariat

       Vice-Chairman to review the guidelines presented in light of the comments received during the meeting.

Vice-Chairman

       It was agreed that the guidelines would not become regulations, i.e. mandatory.

Parties, observers

19.  Issues resulting from PC10, not included elsewhere in the Agenda

       There were no such issues.

20.  Training initiatives

       20.1   Standard slide package: progress report

                The updated slide pack to be published immediately after CoP12.

United Kingdom

                The updated slide pack to be included on the website of the Scientific Authority of the United Kingdom with a link to their website from the Secretariat’s.

United Kingdom, Secretariat

                New slide packs to be prepared in hard copy and CD-ROM, with numbers of each to be determined.

United Kingdom

Parties

21.  Trade in Mexican cacti

       21.1   and Inf. 16 Trade in seeds of Cactaceae included in Appendix II

                Mexico, in collaboration with Austria and the United States of America, to prepare a proposal on sustainable harvesting and artificial propagation of seeds. This should include a budget and indication of funding source.

Austria, Mexico, United States of America

                The Czech Republic to provide to Mexico relevant information concerning cacti species grown in the Czech Republic and their origin.

Czech Republic

       21.2   and Inf. 17 Cacti sales through the internet

                Mexico to continue with their study and provide the updated information to relevant Parties.

Mexico

China, France, India, United States of America

23.  Time and venue of the 12th Plants Committee meeting

       The Plants Committee accepted the offer from the Management Authority of the Netherlands to host the next meeting of the Plants Committee in Leiden, the Netherlands, 13-17 May 2002.

The Netherlands, Secretariat

24.  Any other business

       24.1   Relationship between ex-situ breeding operations and in-situ conservation programmes (Decision 11.102)

                The Plants Committee agreed to support the process established by the Secretariat.

Regional representatives of Africa (Luke), Asia (Singh), Central and South America and the Caribbean (Forero), Europe (Clemente), North America (von Arx), Oceania (Leach)

       24.2   Report on the Global Strategy for Plants (CBD)

                The Plants Committee members, Parties and other observers to send comments on the CBD document to the Chairman before the beginning of October.

All

       24.3   Annotation to Cistanche deserticola

                No action.

       24.4   Illegal trade in Paphiopedilum spp.

                The Plants Committee adopts the recommendations.

                The United Kingdom, United States of America and Secretariat will collaborate and prepare a document for the next Plants Committee meeting.

United Kingdom, United States of America and Secretariat