The Society and CITES: the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species
of Wild Fauna and Flora
The Society supports fully the principle of CITES and also seeks to make its implementation more practical for horticultural interests. In particular, the Society has sought to secure within CITES better recognition of the importance of encouraging nurseries to propagate listed species, for the conservation of wild populations. Consequently there is a need to make international trade in artificially propagated plants within CITES as easy as possible.
Because of the importance of CITES for horticulture the Society has established good lines of communication with Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, who act as our CITES Management Authority) and with The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (who are our Scientific Authority for CITES plants).
During the 2000 Conference of Parties to CITES in Nairobi, some species noted for monitoring included Swietenia macrophylla (bigleaf mahogany), orchids from Thailand and China, Galanthus and Cyclamen from Turkey and Georgia, and Aquilaria malaccensis (agarwood), which is harvested for incense, perfume, timber, cosmetics, medicines and for its oil. The Society was an active participant in the 1992 and 1994 Conferences of Parties in Kyoto and Fort Lauderdale. At the 1992 Conference the Society supported the successful move to exempt flasked orchid seeds and tissue cultures from CITES altogether, and in 1994 it played a key role in establishing a system of registration for nurseries exclusively dealing in artificially propagated plants.
All these representations are an on-going business, and the Society has sought wherever possible to consult other specialist gardening organisations in framing its own views. Exhibitors at RHS Shows also are made aware of their obligations under CITES.
 |
To view these documents you will need a copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader. We strongly recommend that you download the latest version to prevent problems viewing the documents. This is available free from the Adobe website. Click on the logo to go to the website. |
Full document
A summary of RHS policy
1) The Royal Horticultural Society supports the aims of CITES in seeking to monitor and, where necessary, control international trade in endangered species, while at the same time being aware that the Convention has important practical implications for horticulturists.
2) The Society will continue to be actively involved in consultation processes dealing with the evolution of CITES and its implementation by national and international authorities.
3) In particular the Society will continue to emphasize the important part that artificial propagation can play in reducing the pressure on wild populations of endangered species and will support all measures to make the trade in artificially propagated plants as easy as possible within CITES.
4) The Society deplores the collection of any plant in biologically unsustainable quantities directly from the wild. Techniques of plant propagation enable the majority of species to be increased in cultivation from an initial stock, obviating the need for large-scale collection.
5) The Society provides relevant information to its membership explaining the purpose of CITES, the plant species covered in the Annexes and the requirements for trade in those species.
6) The Society requires all plants exhibited or offered for sale at its shows, entered in its competitions or submitted for awards or trials to have been obtained in accordance with CITES regulations. Similarly it takes all steps to ensure that plants grown in its gardens or offered through its Plant Centres have been obtained in accordance with the provisions of the Convention.
7) The Society is involved in the promotion of a long term programme for the cultivation, propagation and distribution of horticulturally desirable plants that are endangered in the wild, so relieving the pressure on the wild populations of those species.
Links
CITES homepage
UK CITES Scientific Authority for plants (The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew)