The White House is considering various import prohibition options on the basis that Chinese nationals are engaging in trade or taking of pangolins that diminishes the effectiveness of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
On November 3, 2023, the President notified Congress of the Secretary of the Interior’s certification, pursuant to section 8(b) of the Fishermen’s Protective Act of 1967, as amended (the Pelly Amendment) (22 U.S.C. 1978), that PRC nationals are engaging in trade or taking of all eight species of pangolins that diminishes the effectiveness of CITES.
Since 2017, all species of pangolin have been included in Appendix I of CITES, which lists species threatened with extinction that are or may be affected by trade. With limited exceptions, CITES prohibits international trade for primarily commercial purposes in Appendix I-listed species.
Despite this prohibition, the PRC remains the largest destination country for pangolin scales. All eight species of pangolins are threatened with extinction primarily due to the ongoing demand for their body parts, including scales, for medicinal purposes and consumption, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
The announcement was made jointly by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR); State Department and the Department of the Interior
| Filed on: 10/11/2024 at 8:45 am Scheduled Pub. Date: 10/15/2024 FR Document: 2024-23639 |
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