TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, is evaluating a project on voluntary certification standards for medicinal and aromatic plants species (MAPs) listed in CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora). The overall aim of the project is to identify how use of a voluntary certification standard for CITES-listed species can assist with implementation of CITES for Appendix II wild-sourced MAP species.

In order to provide an opportunity for industry stakeholder input to this project, TRAFFIC is conducting a survey of companies that trade in MAPs and MAP-containing products and has requested AHPA distribute this survey to broaden participation by the herb trade.

You can complete the survey via the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ZRPRX8J. TRAFFIC would like surveys to be returned by Friday October 12, 2018, so your prompt attention to this opportunity to participate will be appreciated. For more information about your data protection rights and TRAFFIC’s use of submitted responses, please refer to their privacy statement.

TRAFFIC is a leading non-governmental organization working globally on trade in wild animals and plants in the context of both biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. Information on the MAP project was presented at the CITES Plants Committee meeting in July 2018 in a background document that sets out the context of the use of the voluntary certification systems to support the implementation of CITES requirements, both in terms of meeting the non-detriment finding requirements, and the legal acquisition findings requirements.

TRAFFIC will be hosting a workshop to further evaluate the voluntary certification project at the end of October in their Cambridge, UK office. Holly Johnson, Ph.D., AHPA’s Chief Science Officer, will be in attendance at the meeting to represent AHPA and its members.