4.4 Making a Non-Detriment Finding
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Additional readings
The 4th National Reports and National Biodiversity Strategy and Actions Plans (NBSAPs) submitted by Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity are an excellent source of information that may assist Scientific Authorities in establishing procedures for non-detriment findings. Click here to search National Reports or NBSAPs.
Click here to see the 4th National Report from Kenya
Click here to see the NBSAP from Mozambique
Making a Non-Detriment Finding
Resolution Conf. 10.3, Designation and role of the Scientific Authorities, recommends that the findings and advice of the Scientific Authority of the country of export be based on:
- population status;
- distribution;
- population trends;
- harvest;
- other biological and ecological factors; and
- trade information*.
*The best source for CITES trade data is the CITES Trade Database. It holds data from the annual reports of the Parties to CITES and records nowadays an average of 850,000 permits issued annually. Most of the entries represent individual shipments of live or dead animals and plants and their parts and derivatives of species that are included in the CITES Appendices. These primary data are available to anyone via the Internet from both the CITES website and are an essential tool for understanding the international wildlife trade flows. Based on these data, CITES Scientific Authorities can monitor the levels of trade and adopt policy decisions to ensure the survival of our irreplaceable fauna and flora.
Generally speaking, the most useful unit of measurement in determining whether exports will not be detrimental to the survival of the species is the national population of the country involved.