21 April 2011: The 19th meeting of the Plants Committee (PC 19) of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) convened from 18-21 April 2011, in Geneva, Switzerland. At its first meeting since the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to CITES in March 2010, the Committee laid out the groundwork for responding to the multiple mandates received from the Conference.

Delegates discussed, inter alia: CITES participation in the Biodiversity Indicators Partnership (BIP); CITES collaboration with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and biodiversity-related conventions on the definition of the content and modalities of the relationships between the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and other Conventions’ scientific bodies; CITES’ role in the Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD) Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC); and climate change impacts on CITES’ science-based decision-making processes.

PC 19 adopted recommendations on the PC work plan, non-detriment findings (NDFs), the periodic review of plant species included in the Appendices and amendments to the Appendices, the Review of Significant Trade in Appendix II species (RST), orchids annotations, Madagascar, and Agarwood-producing taxa. Discussions on annotations, which prominently involved industry and civil society, proved more difficult and resulted in the PC taking note, rather than adopting, recommendations on the definition of terms such as “essential oil” and “extract,” as well as draft recommendations on annotations related to tree species, Aniba rosaeodora (Brazil rosewood) and Bulnesia sarmientoi (Palo Santo).

PC 19 established seven intersessional working groups, including on NDFs, the periodic review, annotations, the consolidated update of the GSPC 2011-2020, and climate change. [IISD RS Earth Negotiations Bulletin Coverage of CITES PC 19]