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Weissgold, B. , U.s. turtle exports and federal trade regulation: A snapshot. Unpublished paper presented at USFWS Workshop on Conservation and Trade Management of Freshwater and Terrestrial Turtles in the United States. 
Added by: Sarina Wunderlich (06 Jul 2014 16:17:29 UTC)
Resource type: Conference Paper
BibTeX citation key: anon2010.16598
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Categories: General
Keywords: Emydidae, Habitat - habitat, Nordamerika - North America, Schildkröten - turtles + tortoises, Terrapene carolina
Creators: Weissgold
Collection: USFWS Workshop on Conservation and Trade Management of Freshwater and Terrestrial Turtles in the United States
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Abstract     
Pseudemys This presentation provides an overview of the Convention on International Trade of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and a summary of the trends in freshwater turtle exports from the United States. It also briefly highlights an Endangered Species Act (ESA) petition received by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) this past Spring to list nine freshwater turtle species in the southeastern United States. CITES is an international treaty which went into effect in 1975 in the United States. The Service, authorized by the ESA, serves as the lead U.S. government agency for the Treaty’s implementation and enforcement. The mission of CITES is to regulate international trade in animals and plants (as well as their parts and products) listed in the Treaty’s Appendices so that trade does not threaten the survival of wild populations. International trade in CITES-listed species is regulated with permits and certificates which are presented at the time of export or import. CITES Appendix I includes species that are threatened with extinction; these species are generally not permitted in commercial trade. CITES Appendix II includes species that are not currently at risk of extinction but may become so unless their trade is monitored. The majority of CITES-listed species in international trade are listed in Appendix II. Appendix III is the least restrictive of the three Appendices in terms of the requirements for trade, and such a listing is intended for regulated species in which the listing Party is requesting the assistance of other Parties in monitoring the legality of international trade. There are many species not currently listed in CITES that might regularly enter international trade, with some evidence that ongoing trade volumes could negatively affect the status of wild populations. Species in that scenario would be appropriate to consider for an Appendix-II listing. All native marine turtles receive full ESA and CITES Appendix I protection, and all native land tortoises are CITES-listed and receive either some or full ESA protection. For freshwater turtles, a limited number of native species are ESA or CITES-listed (or both), and the Service implements a program for the export of farmed map Graptemys spp.) and alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temmnickii) hatchlings, which are listed in Appendix III. In April 20 of this past year, the Service received a petition from the Center for Biological Diversity to list 404 aquatic, riparian, and wetland species of the southeastern United States under the ESA. This petition includes nine freshwater turtle species. The Service’s Region 4 office is leading the review of the petition to determine if it presents substantial information indicating that listing may be warranted. The available data on turtle exports from the United States indicate that species with the most dramatic and consistent increases in exports are the common snapper (Chelydra serpentina), Florida red-bellied turtle (Chrysems nelsoni), Florida (Apalone ferox) and spiny softshells (A. spinifera) (although the softshell trade export trade has decreased in 2009), and although gross volume is much lower, the spotted turtle (Clemmys gutatta). While export levels of freshwater turtles from the United States appear variable, the long-term trend is an increase across the board, over an extended period of time. These data suggest that changes in demand, primarily in Asia, are a major factor influencing increases or decreases in exports from the United States, although other factors may also affect exports. The global turtle trade in the last 15 years appears to follow a pattern common in international wildlife trade – once a species either becomes depleted in the wild or restricted in trade due to regulatory action, the trade shifts to other more readily available species. In the case of the freshwater and terrestrial turtle trade, information suggests a shift to a small number of U.S. species to make up for the loss of availability of Asian species due to CITES and related regulatory and enforcement measures. In 2009, preliminary data indicates that approximately 41,000 live alligator snappers were exported from the United States, with 98% of these shipped to China. In 2006 the United States added map turtles and alligator snappers to Appendix III at the request of the States, and the Service worked with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies to design the export management program. The Service registers farming operations to receive expedited permits for their hatchlings at a reduced permit cost, and the Service manages the program on an annual cycle in which each operation must renew its registration. Although the Appendix III listings allow the Service to monitor exports and to ensure their legality, these exports tell little, if anything, about harvest rates of these turtles from the wild.
Added by: Sarina Wunderlich  
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