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Laws and treaties

• Climate Change Response Act
• Environment Act
• Fiordland (Te Moana o Atawhenua) Marine Management Act
• Foreshore and Seabed Act
• HSNO Act
• Ozone Layer Protection Act
• Resource Management Act
• Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Act
• National environmental standards
• Regulatory Impact Statements
• Multilateral Environmental Agreements
• International Trade and Environment
• Waste Minimisation Act

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species

The 1973 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) is an attempt to reconcile competing international trade and species conservation issues. It is an international framework for regulating and restricting trade in specimens of species of wild animals and plants – a system of certification for imports and exports. Trade obligations for various categories of endangered species depend upon evaluations of ecological significance of the species and its effect on other species, as well as the levels of exploitation and the effects of harvesting techniques on the traded species. These obligations range from total trade bans to “quota” restrictions and other non-tariff measures, such as registration requirements, tagging systems, and microchip implants in live animals.

New Zealand’s obligations under CITES are implemented through the Trade in Endangered Species Act 1989. This Act prohibits trade in specimens violating the Convention, and imposes penalties for such violations.

Last updated: 17 September 2007