Permits for Movement or Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) can be requested on-line from the National Environment Service website from today.
The public will be able fill in on-line forms to request a permit prior to bringing their sample items to NES office for identification of the species and measurement of the weight of the samples.
The on-line forms allow capture of vital metrics on the export of species from the Cook Islands which will allow reporting information at the click of a button.
The Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an international agreement between member countries to ensure the international trade of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. High trade activity can lead to heavy depletion of the species’ population and elevates the level of extinction. The trade can involve live animals and plants, food products, wildlife products and certain medicines.
Under Section 55 of The Environment Act 2003 NES has an obligation for Protection of species. In order to monitor the pressure on species from export and trade, NES adopts the international standards for CITES reporting. This mechanism also allows us to provide notifications to major Pacific neighbors, especially Australia and New Zealand who are full members of the convention. Our voluntary compliance contributes to global environmental protection as well as working towards our goal of protecting biodiversity.
Click here to access CITES online permit.
