Hi, I'm sorry I didn't elaborate on what CITES is. Here is a brief description.
CITES is "Convention on International Traffic of Endangered Species." It is a treaty recognized by many countries. There are a small handful of countries that don't recognize it but they're none that we typically deal with.
So basically we have this CITES governing body somewhere, whose job it is to identify species at risk (endangered species). So they categorize a species at risk, as "Appendix I," "Appendex II," or "Appendix III." Appendix I is species identified as "in imminent danger of going extinct." Basically if a species is Appendix I, there is NO WAY to legally import or export these species (the only exception being for research). Appendix II are species at risk, but not as dire at Appendix I, so there are still avenues for import and export, but, the appropriate permits must be in place. You need CITES labelled permits issued from the country of origin of that species.
Offhand I'm not sure what Appendix III is.
Now here is the kicker. If a species is CITES listed, then they apply this to even PIECES of the species. For example, ivory from a Rhino horn would be CITES. Cuttings of plants, even the seeds would not be exempt. Live rock and live sand, this used to be calcereous corals, so even they are listed as "endangered species." Boots made from alligator skin, etc. etc. Thus, even frags of corals are still under CITES control.
CITES is in place to protect species at risk. It is, thus, a very important part of our hobby and others. That said, that is not to say it is a perfect system. All it can do, is control the
traffic of endangered species across international borders. It does nothing to stop the illegal collection of species, does nothing to prevent habitat destruction, stuff like that. Also, I'm not certain what happens to live animals that are seized. They are possibly destroyed, which to me defeats the purpose of "protecting" the endangered species. So like I said, it's not a perfect system, but it is the system that is in place nonetheless -- thus like it or not, we have to live with it and live by it.
Penalties for defying CITES are very severe. At the very least, the shipment is seized. Fines can be several thousand dollars, and, since it is considered "criminal smuggling" an importer or an exporter who tries to sneak something past a border, can face imprisonment.
For more information, I encourage you to check out the CITES website at
www.cites.org.
PS. The reason I know all this, is because I used to do group orders of orchids for Calgary's Foothill Orchid Society. I've imported from Hawaii, Peru, Thailand, and Indonesia. Let me say just this. It is a LOT of work!!! Man, the paperwork would take me hours and hours at the airport customs office when the shipments would arrive. And, speaking to the suppliers, if they don't speak English, then you need to speak their language. Luckily for Indo, I had a friend who had moved there who was able to act as my "agent" on that side. Thailand, I was lucky, they spoke English. For Peru .... I had to learn Spanish!! "Sí señor, seré seguro pagar con los dólares americanos." (He was very concerned I might pay with Canadian dollars, apparently for some reason he was not very interested in those.)
