GOP VIEWS ON CITES CEDRELA/DALBERGIA ISSUE

UNCLAS PANAMA 000841 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR STATE WHA/CEN TELLO ALSO FOR STATE OES/ETC BALZAR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON ETRD PM SENV SUBJECT: GOP VIEWS ON CITES CEDRELA/DALBERGIA ISSUE REF: STATE 51890 ¶1. (U) EconOff raised REFTEL points separately with Alaida Salazar, on May 18, 2007, and Francisco Cubas, on May 22, 2007, of the GOP's National Environmental Authority. Salazar and Cubas will attend the Fourteenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in The Hague, June 3-15, 2007. ¶2. (U) Salazar and Cubas said that there are no exports or harvesting for international trade of the Cedrela or Dalbregia species from Panama. Cubas said there is no reliable estimate of the number of Cedrela or Dalbregia trees in Panama. In his opinion, the Cedrela no longer exists in the wild, but only on grazing or agricultural lands. He believes the Dalbregia species exists in the wild, but since exports were prohibited in 2002, there is no reliable information as to the species' status. Cubas said the GOP believes more studies are needed to determine the conservation status of these species before a determination can be made whether to include either of them on Annex II, or in any other annex. EATON