BfN
Definition
Bundesamt für Naturschutz (Federal Agency for Nature Conservation), Germany. Maintains CITES-supporting scientific expertise and species identification services for German customs and enforcement authorities.
- Full name
- Bundesamt fur Naturschutz
- Country
- Germany
- Role
- CITES scientific authority support
- Client agencies
- German customs and enforcement authorities
Common questions
What kind of casework does the BfN handle?+
It provides species identification for seized wildlife products, such as ivory, timber, and traded animal parts, supporting German customs decisions on CITES compliance.
How does BfN's role differ from a national customs authority's?+
Customs authorities intercept and seize shipments, while the BfN supplies the scientific species identification and CITES expertise that customs relies on to decide whether a seizure is warranted.
Related terms
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- NFWFL
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- Reference Collection
- A curated library of verified specimens from known species, subspecies, and geographic populations used as comparators in forensic identification. The depth and...
- TRACE
- Wildlife Forensics Network based in Edinburgh, UK. Specialises in DNA-based species and geographic-origin identification for seized wildlife and products.
- WCCB
- Wildlife Crime Control Bureau. Statutory multi-disciplinary body under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), created by the 2006 amendment...