Why is it in the news?
- India has been granted an exemption from the CITES Review of Significant Trade (RST) for Red Sanders.
CITES Review of Significant Trade (RST)
About
- The CITES Review of Significant Trade (RST) Management System focuses on cases where trade may threaten a specific species from a specific country.
- It allows for disciplinary actions, such as trade suspensions, against countries not meeting their obligations under CITES.
Reasons for India’s Exemption from CITES RST
- India had been under the CITES RST process for Red Sanders since 2004.
- The exemption is a result of a 2022 amendment to the Wildlife (Protection) Act, aligning it with CITES provisions under the CITES National Legislation Programme (NLP).
- This exemption now permits farmers in India to engage in legitimate trade involving Red Sanders.
| Red Sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus) · Red Sanders is a plant species endemic to the tropical dry deciduous forests in the Eastern Ghats region of Andhra Pradesh, India. · It is known locally as Yerra Chandanam and Rakta Chandanam. · This species has a slow growth rate and typically reaches maturity after 25 to 40 years. · It is fire-resistant and can withstand drought conditions. · Red Sanders is classified as an ‘endangered species’ on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. · It is also listed under Schedule IV of The Wildlife Protection Act in India.
CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora): · CITES is an international agreement voluntarily adhered to by states and regional economic integration organizations. · Participating states are referred to as Parties. · While CITES is legally binding on the Parties, it does not replace national laws but complements them. · All import, export, and re-export of species covered by CITES must be authorized through a permit system. · CITES Appendix I lists species threatened with extinction, and import or export permits for these are rarely issued, typically for non-commercial purposes. · CITES Appendix II includes species not necessarily threatened with extinction but requires strict trade regulation. · The Conference of the Parties (CoP), which convenes every two years, evaluates proposals from Parties based on biological and trade criteria to determine if a species should be listed in Appendix I or II.
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