Non-Detriment Finding (NDF)
Definition
A Scientific Authority's determination that a proposed export will not be detrimental to the survival of the species in the wild, required before an Appendix II export permit can be issued.
- Issued by
- A country's CITES Scientific Authority
- Required for
- Appendix II export permits
- Framework
- CITES
Common questions
Who is authorised to issue a non-detriment finding?+
A country's designated CITES Scientific Authority makes the finding, a body distinct from the Management Authority that actually issues the export permit once the NDF and other conditions are satisfied.
Does an NDF apply to every CITES-listed species export?+
It is specifically required for Appendix II species. Appendix I trade is generally prohibited for commercial purposes, and Appendix III listings carry different, country-specific documentation requirements.
Related terms
- Appendix I
- The highest protection tier in CITES, listing species threatened with extinction. Commercial international trade is prohibited; non-commercial trade requires both export and...
- Appendix II
- The intermediate CITES tier, covering species not yet threatened but requiring controlled trade. Export permits require a non-detriment finding from the exporting...
- CITES
- The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, a multilateral treaty signed in 1973 now with over...
- EU Regulation 338/97
- The European Union's main wildlife trade instrument, implementing CITES and in many respects going further, applying to internal as well as international...
- Lacey Act
- US federal legislation originally from 1900, substantially amended in 1981 and 2008, that prohibits trade in wildlife taken in violation of any...