Abstract
EDITOR'S NOTE: The AFA was fortunate to have Jerry Jennings at the CITES Conference held this year in Argentina. Jennings' credentials suit him very well for meeting and mingling with such an international body. Jennings has a master's degree in business administration, has a degree in law and is a member of the California State Bar; he speaks German, Spanish and Portuguese, has military experience as a naval officer, was and still is a world traveller who is at home in many countries all over the world from Africa to Asia to Europe and South America. Jn addition, Jennings' leadership in the AFA and his own bird interests have enabled him to become personally acquainted with many of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife personnel and many of the leading ornithologists and zoo curators who are involved with CITES.
The fifth conference of the parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species ( CITES) was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina April 22 to May 3, 1985. Of the 87 nations party to the Convention, approximately 67 were on hand to decide the future course of CITES and the fate of numerous species of animals and plants.
During the course of deliberations, a number of issues important to aviculturists were examined. Perhaps those of the greatest immediate impact were the approval of proposals to move the scarlet macaw and the Buffon 's macaw from Appendix II (threatened) to Appendix I (endangered). This change in status means that these species will no longer be allowed to be exported from the countries of origin and no longer allowed importation into the United States, except under CITES permits issued by both the exporting and importing countries. Under the CITES rules, permits for Appendix I species may not be issued for' 'primarily commercial purposes." Permits may be issued, however, for purposes such as training, education, conservation, captive breeding, and research.
Other shifts in species included the transfer of theJabiru stork from Appendix II to Appendix I and the addition of all species of cranes to Appendix II that were not previously listed on Appendix II or Appendix r.
Perhaps the most unsettling aspect of the changes in the Appendices is the requirement that species be listed on Appendix I (endangered) only if they meet the Bern criteria (regulations adopted in Bern, Switzerland), which require scientific data indicating that a species population has declined to the point that it is truly endangered. These data are often hard to acquire, since population studies have not previously been carried out and the difficulty and cost of doing so is prohibitive. With reference to the Buffon's macaw, the general scientific consensus is that the species is truly in trouble. However, the scarlet macaw is generally considered to be in trouble only in Central America. While no specific data concerning South American populations is available, other than the fact a significant level of trade exists in that species. There is concern that the populations are unlikely to continue to sustain such exports.