AVIS D’ACQUISITION LÉGALE

The document outlines a comprehensive framework for CITES Management Authorities to establish and issue Legal Acquisition Findings (LAF). It details the necessary legal preparations, the step-by-step verification process for the chain of custody, and specific documentary requirements for various taxa, including wildlife, plants, and timber. The guide emphasizes a risk-based approach to verification and the importance of transparent, public-facing national guidelines to prevent fraudulent trade.

• A Legal Acquisition Finding (LAF) is a mandatory prerequisite for issuing CITES export permits, requiring the Management Authority (MA) to be convinced that a specimen was not obtained in violation of the state's flora and fauna preservation laws.
• Management Authorities are encouraged to adopt a risk-based approach where the amount of information required from a permit applicant is proportional to the probability that the specimen was acquired illegally.
• For timber species, the guide recommends using existing Timber Legality Assurance Systems (TLAS), such as those developed under EU FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs), to verify the chain of custody.
• Specific risk indicators for captive-bred or ranch-raised animals include sudden increases in declared volumes, production levels exceeding the reproductive potential of the parental stock, or specimens with physical conditions inconsistent with controlled environments.
• For marine species, the process differs based on the vessel's flag state; transactions between two states are treated as import-export requiring an LAF, while specimens taken outside any state's jurisdiction and landed in the flag state are treated as 'Introduction from the Sea' (IFS).
• The guide identifies several legal instruments that must be reviewed to determine legality, including laws on protected areas, customs, criminal law, and specific hunting or fishing regulations.
• If a specimen is found to be obtained in violation of preservation laws, the Management Authority must inform relevant law enforcement agencies, such as the National Police or prosecutors, before refusing the permit.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2021). AVIS D’ACQUISITION LÉGALE. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Legal-Acquisition-Findings-Handbook_French.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. AVIS D’ACQUISITION LÉGALE. 2021. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Legal-Acquisition-Findings-Handbook_French.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=AVIS D’ACQUISITION LÉGALE |date=2021 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Legal-Acquisition-Findings-Handbook_French.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2021avis, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{AVIS D’ACQUISITION LÉGALE}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2021}, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Legal-Acquisition-Findings-Handbook_French.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }