HerbalEGram: Volume 10, Number 5, May 2013

From March 3–14, 2013, more than 2,000 participants from around the world met in Bangkok, Thailand, for the 16^th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP16) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).¹ In addition to important conservation decisions adopted for threatened animal species — including increased protection for tortoises and turtles, five shark species, and manta rays — Parties discussed and adopted several important proposals concerning aromatic and medicinal plants. 

CITES is among the largest international conservation agreements, with 178 member governments aiming to ensure “that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.”² CoP16 marked the 40^th anniversary of the adoption of CITES itself. The triennial meeting of the CITES CoP brings together representatives of the countries that have signed the Convention — also known as the Parties³ — to discuss changes in the implementation of CITES, including modifications and additions to the Appendices.

Species protected by CITES are included in one of three Appendices, which convey varying levels of protection.⁴ Appendix I includes “species that are the most endangered,” Appendix II “lists species that are not necessarily now threatened with extinction but that may become so unless trade is closely controlled” (including look-alike species that appear similar to listed species), and Appendix III “is a list of species included at the request of a Party that already regulates trade in the species and that needs the cooperation of other countries to prevent unsustainable or illegal exploitation.” Depending on the Appendix in which the species is included, international trade may be limited to primarily non-commercial trade, closely regulated commercial trade, or monitored commercial trade. 

Annotation Changes

Several proposals at CoP16 focused on amending the annotations for certain CITES-listed plant species. Annotations clarify the scope of an Appendix listing, often by specifying when certain plant populations, parts, or derivatives are or are not affected by the listing.⁵ Annotations are relevant for medicinal plants, particularly for internationally traded finished products that contain parts or derivatives of CITES-listed plant species. Because some finished medicinal plant products are not the dominantly traded commodity creating a demand for the wild plant resources, regulating finished products would have no conservation value. For other species, however, regulating finished products has been deemed an important aspect of conserving the species in the wild, particularly when the finished products are manufactured in the range country. Because CITES Parties use annotations to include and exclude certain commodities from a plant listing, this allows enforcement and conservation efforts to be spent where the wild resource will benefit most.

The following is a list of the changes that were made to medicinal plant annotations at CoP16 (with new text underlined):

• Asian and American Ginseng (Panax ginseng, P. quinquefolius). Both of these adaptogenic herb species, used widely in Traditional Chinese Medicine as well as Western herbal medicine, are currently listed in Appendix II.⁶ Annotation #3 was revised to read: “Designates whole and sliced roots and parts of roots, excluding manufactured parts or derivatives such as powders, pills, extracts, tonics, teas, and confectionery.”
  
  
  This underlined text previously had been removed by a 2007 CoP amendment, which caused confusion among some ginseng exporter and inspection authorities as to whether manufactured products were regulated under the listing. Thus, the United States proposed at CoP16 to reinstate the explanatory text in order to clarify which ginseng commodities are and are not regulated under CITES. The CoP16 amendment, which was supported by the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), was adopted unanimously by the Parties. 
  
  However, according to Uwe Schippmann, PhD, head of the German CITES Scientific Authority on Plants, “In my view this is not a reason to change an annotation, rather this should be an incentive for increased efforts in enforcement training” (email, April 22, 2013).

• Hoodia spp. Currently listed in Appendix II, succulent species in this genus — namely H. gordonii — are known for their appetite-suppressing usages in traditional medicine.⁸ Annotation #9 for hoodia had been criticized for being ineffective and creating confusion.⁹ While its purpose was to exclude plant material with approved sustainable production certifications, these certification schemes were never put in place by the three range countries. Therefore, the annotation has never been implemented and some Parties have suggested that it should be repealed.
  
  The amendment proposed and agreed upon at CoP16 involved only a slight change in wording to clarify that the agreements will be individually entered into between the CITES authority and a producer in that range country: “Produced from Hoodia spp. material obtained through controlled harvesting and production under the terms of an agreement with the relevant CITES Management Authority of [Botswana under agreement no. BW/xxxxxx] [Namibia under agreement no. NA/xxxxxx] [South Africa under agreement no. ZA/xxxxxx].” [Editor’s note: All commodities derived from Hoodia spp. continue to be regulated under CITES, including seeds, plants, and finished products packaged and ready for retail trade, except for those products produced in accordance with the requirements of the revised annotation. All international trade requires the issuance of CITES permits and certificates from any CITES member country, including the United States.]
  
  
• Brazilian rosewood (Aniba rosaeodora). This tree species, currently listed in Appendix II, is used as a source of an essential oil for skin care and aromatherapy purposes.¹⁰ Proposed by Brazil and unanimously adopted, Annotation #12 now reads: “Logs, sawn wood, veneer sheets, plywood and extracts. Finished products containing such extracts as ingredients, including fragrances, are not considered to be covered by this annotation.”¹¹ This revision clarifies the exemption of extract-based finished products, and also uses the term “extract,” whereas the previous version used “essential oil.” This subtle change is due to a revised definition of “extract” approved at CoP16: “Any substance obtained directly from plant material by physical or chemical means regardless of the manufacturing process. An extract may be solid (e.g., crystals, resin, fine or coarse particles), semi-solid (e.g., gums, waxes), or liquid (e.g, solutions, tinctures, oil and essential oils).”
  
  During the time between CoP16 and CoP17, the CITES Standing Committee’s working group on annotations will discuss, among other issues, if only pure rosewood oil or dilutions and mixtures are to be controlled. [Editor’s Note: The common name “Brazilian rosewood” also has been used to refer to Dalbergia nigra (a species of rosewood also native to Brazil, but that is listed in CITES Appendix I and traded primarily as timber and also used in perfumery). According to the American Herbal Products Association’s Herbs of Commerce, 2nd ed., which is the US standard reference for common names of botanical ingredients used in supplements (21 CFR 101.4(h)), the standardized common name “Brazilian rosewood” is associated with Aniba rosaeodroa, not Dalbergia nigra.]
  
  
•  Agarwood-producing taxa (Aquilaria spp., Gyrinops spp.). Species in these Appendix II genera are used in traditional medicine systems, including Ayurveda, for a variety of uses.¹² China, Kuwait, and Indonesia proposed replacing the previous annotation with a new annotation that is specific to the agarwood trade. After extensive discussion, the following amended annotation was adopted: “All parts and derivatives, except: a) seeds and pollen; b) seedling or tissue cultures obtained in vitro, in solid or liquid media, transported in sterile containers; c) fruits; d) leaves; e) exhausted agarwood powder, including compressed powder in all shapes; f) finished products packaged and ready for retail trade, this exemption does not apply to beads, prayer beads and carvings.”¹³
  
  While it was easily agreed that these specific products pose no conservation risk, many Parties argued that some are not readily recognized by customs officers and that identification of such commodities would be difficult. Additionally, Parties adopted an exemption for personal effects of agarwood items when they are personally hand-carried or carried in accompanying baggage, including up to 1 kg of agarwood woodchips, 24 ml oil, and two sets of beads, (or prayer beads, or two necklaces or bracelets) per person. 

Appendix II Additions

Several plant species were included in Appendix II at CoP16. Representatives from Madagascar proposed listing seven endemic (native only to Madagascar) plant species in Appendix II, including: Adenia firingalvansis, A. subsessifolia, Cyphostemma laza, Operculicarya decaryi, Senna meridionalis, Uncarina grandidieri, and U. stellulifera. All Parties in attendance approved the proposals, and the listings include all recognizable plant parts (including seeds) and derivatives.

These Madagascan plants are slow-growing and do not regenerate well, and most are succulents with bonsai-like appearance.¹⁰ Seeds and seedlings of these plants are harvested from the wild and are traded internationally for ornamental use, while some of the species also have local medicinal uses and may be in international trade for therapeutic applications to a lesser extent. Senna meridionalis leaves, for example, are used to treat hemorrhoids; this tropical deciduous tree belongs to a genus that also is widely known for its laxative effects. Uncarina species are used to treat dandruff and to reverse hair loss, and A. firingalavensis is a liana that is used to treat scabies. It is not clear, at this point, to what extent these seven plant species are traded internationally for therapeutic applications, if at all, but because seeds and all parts and derivatives are included in the listings, materials in trade for medicinal use will also be regulated under CITES.  

Dr. Schippmann noted, “All these proposals were agreed on by consensus to show support for Madagascar, despite the fact that both the CITES Secretariat and the IUCN/TRAFFIC analysis in their recommendations had stated that these species would not meet the criteria for listing species in Appendix II.” The United States, however, fully supported the proposals, finding that wild-harvested seeds and seedlings of these species are imported to the United States and that — based on the life-history traits of the species and their status in the wild — the species qualify for listing in Appendix II.

Representatives from Kenya proposed to include East African sandalwood (Osyris lanceolata) in Appendix II, with coverage of the entire species range, which includes sub-Saharan Africa, the Iberian Peninsula and Balearic Island, India, and Southeast Asia.¹⁴ East African sandalwood is traded internationally for its aromatic wood and oil, which is used in the cosmetic and fragrance industries, and it also has medicinal applications. At the meeting, the proposal was modified to include only the East African sandalwood populations in Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. The proposal was adopted by consensus. The listing includes all parts and derivatives except seeds, pollen, and finished products packaged and ready for retail trade.  

Several species of tropical timbers were proposed for Appendix II listing, including Thailand rosewood (Dalbergia cochinchinensis), black rosewood (D. retusa), granadillo rosewood (D. granadillo), Honduras rosewood (D. stevensonii), Madagascan rosewood (D. spp.), and Madagascan ebony (Diospyros spp.). These proposals were unanimously adopted by the Parties. It was notable that China, a major importer of these timbers, did not oppose or prevent the consensus adoptions. While this was praised as a conservation milestone by many, illegal logging and illegal trade in these species remain a challenge for the CITES Parties and efforts are underway to effectively implement the listings. These listings, which perhaps drew the most public attention, were due to concerns about the timber trade and should not impact the medicinal and aromatic plant industry.  

For all of these species, the amendments and listings will become effective on June 12, 2013, 90 days after the conclusion of the CoP16 meeting. The next CITES Conference of the Parties, CoP17, will be held in South Africa in 2016.


—Patricia DeAngelis,¹ Pat Ford, ¹ Lindsay Stafford Mader, ² Anne St. John³

¹ US Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Scientific Authority

² American Botanical Council

³ US Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Management Authority-Wildlife Trade and Conservation Branch


References

1.    CITES conference takes decisive action to halt decline of tropical timber, sharks, manta rays and a wide range of other plants and animals [press release]. Bangkok, Thailand: CITES; March 14, 2013. Available at: www.cites.org/eng/news/pr/2013/20130314_cop16.php. Accessed April 24, 2013.

2.    What is CITES? CITES website. Available at: www.cites.org/eng/disc/what.php. Accessed April 24, 2013. 

3.    Conference of the Parties. CITES website. Available at: www.cites.org/eng/disc/cop.php. Accessed April 24, 2013. 

4.    The CITES Appendices. CITES website. Available at: www.cites.org/eng/app/index.php. Accessed April 24, 2013.

5.   Annotated Cites Appendices and Reservations. CITES. Available at: www.cites.org/eng/resources/pub/checklist08/Annotated_CITES_Appendices_and_reservations.pdf. Accessed April 24, 2013.

6.   Dharmananda S. The nature of ginseng: traditional use, modern research, and the question of dosage. HerbalGram. 2002;54:34-51. Available at: http://cms.herbalgram.org/herbalgram/issue54/article2168.html. Accessed April 29, 2013.

7.  CoP16 Prop. 53. Consideration of Proposals for Amendment of Appendices I and II: Panax ginseng and Panax quinquefolius. Sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties. Bangkok, Thailand; March 3-14, 2013. 

8. Stafford L. Phytopharm returns Hoodia gordonii rights to South African R&D company. HerbalGram. 2011;90:21-22. Available at: http://cms.herbalgram.org/herbalgram/issue90/WorldNews_PhytoPharm.html. Accessed April 29, 2013. 

9. CoP16 Prop. 52. Consideration of Proposals for Amendment of Appendices I and II: Hoodia spp. Sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties. Bangkok, Thailand; March 3-14, 2013. 

10. DeAngelis P, Ford P, Lindner K. Medicinal plants discussed at the 15th meeting of CITES. HerbalGram. 2010;87:58-59. Available at: http://cms.herbalgram.org/herbalgram/issue87/article3560.html. Accessed April 29, 2013. 

11. CoP16 Prop. 59 (Rev. 1). Consideration of Proposals for Amendment of Appendices I and II: Aniba rosaeodora. Sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties. Bangkok, Thailand; March 3-14, 2013. 

12. Brinckmann J. Agarwood: focus of new Malaysian research center and the CITES Plant Committee meeting. HerbalEGram. 2009;6(5). Available at: http://cms.herbalgram.org/heg/volume6/05%20May/AgarwoodCenter.html. Accessed April 29, 2013. 

 13. CoP16 Prop. 70. Consideration of Proposals for Amendment of Appendices I and II: Aquilaria spp. and Gyrinops spp. Sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties. Bangkok, Thailand; March 3-14, 2013. 

14. CoP16 Prop. 70. Consideration of Proposals for Amendment of Appendices I and II: Osyris lanceolata. Sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties. Bangkok, Thailand; March 3-14, 2013.