BRAZILIAN ENVIRONMENTAL AGENCY (IBAMA) TO TAKE

UNCLAS BRASILIA 001399 SIPDIS DEPT FOR OES/ENRC, WHA/BSC E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SENV KSCA ETRD BR SUBJECT: BRAZILIAN ENVIRONMENTAL AGENCY (IBAMA) TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR ALL CITES-RELATED IMPORTS AND EXPORTS ¶1. SUMMARY. In an effort to improve handling of trade in products covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Natural Resources (IBAMA) will assume responsibility for all imports and exports. Pursuant to a rule that will take effect in January 2009, all CITES imports and exports will be restricted to a few major ports of entry. This should improve compliance with U.S. import regulations. END SUMMARY. ¶2. On October 15, 2008, Embassy Science Officers met with Joao Pessoa, the Coordinator for the Management of the Use of Fauna Species for the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Natural Resources (IBAMA.) Pessoa said that Executive Instruction Number 188 issued by IBAMA on September 11, 2008 designated certain authorized ports for all imports and exports subject to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). IBAMA will place inspectors at each of these ports to carry out all necessary cargo inspections and enforcement activity. The new rule enters into effect in January 2009 and will give inspection and clearance authority over these shipments to the IBAMA agents rather than customs officials (Receita Federal),who currently handle such shipments. The goal of this change is to enhance Brazil's ability to meet its CITES obligations, Pessoa said. The change will also allow Brazilian trade in goods subject to CITES approval to better comply with the U.S. requirement that a government official confirm the contents and quantity of goods at the time of export. ¶3. The only designated international airports will be: Brasilia, Fortaleza, Salvador, Belem, Sao Paulo, and Porto Alegre. The only seaports will be: Belem, Santos, Vitoria, Paranagua, Itajai, and Uruguaiana. To date, the only airport in this group with direct flights to and from the United States is Sao Paulo (soon to be joined by Salvador). ¶4. Pessoa commented noted that the customs authorities had encountered difficulties in meeting the new U.S. requirement to certify the quantity of items being shipped. He explained that while customs officials could easily tell how many containers were included in a shipment, they were reluctant to open them up and count how many specimens were inside each shipping container. He attributed this reluctance in part to the lack of sufficient personnel. He expected an improvement in compliance when IBAMA personnel took over responsibility in January. SOBEL