ENDANGERED SPECIES (IMPORT AND EXPORT) ACT (Amendment)

ENDANGERED SPECIES (IMPORT AND EXPORT) ACT

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(Amendment): **

2.

Dr Geh Min asked the Minister for National Development whether he will consider amending the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act to serve as a more effective deterrent against illegal wildlife trade by (i) increasing the current fine of $5,000 to a more realistic figure; (ii) amending the Act to a per animal basis, or in the case of animal parts, a quantifiable unit, to replace the present 'per species' penalty that does not represent the true market value of what is traded; and (iii) authorising the detention of specimens that are in transit.

Mr Mah Bow Tan: The Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act was passed in March 1989 to give effect to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES in short. Since then, we have amended the Act twice to align it with additional CITES requirements. In view of the various revisions to CITES recently, we have started another round of review of the Act. As part of the review, we would consider updating the provisions in the Act on penalties, to maintain effective deterrence.

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For endangered species in transit, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) currently checks to ensure that the animals and specimens would have the necessary CITES documents for their export from the source country and import into the destination country. In reviewing the Act, we will also consider whether the existing enforcement procedures are adequate. We will take into account existing provisions in the Animals and Birds Act, which also empowers AVA to check on animals in-transit, to safeguard animal and public health.

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