Travel and Souvenirs

Each year, millions of Canadians escape to international destinations for their holidays. While there, many travellers purchase souvenirs as reminders of a wonderful experience. What people may not realize is that some souvenirs are made from wild plants and animals that are at risk of extinction due to habitat loss and harvesting practices that are not sustainable.

Consider the number of Queen Conch shells that have been harvested from the ocean and sold as souvenirs in past decades, or the number of pythons that have been hunted to make boots from their skin. Due to international concern for their conservation in the wild, both species are now protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), as Appendix II Species; species which may become endangered if their trade is not regulated.

In Canada, CITES is enforced and administered through the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act (WAPPRIITA) and its regulations, the Wild Animal and Plant Trade (WAPT) regulations. Federal permit requirements for CITES protected species are stipulated in this legislation.

CITES is an international agreement that aims to conserve wildlife in danger of extinction by using a permit system to regulate the international movement of designated species or parts derived from the species.

Notice to Travellers

Canada recently amended the WAPT regulations to exempt travellers conditionally from requiring permits for souvenirs made from wild plants and animals, which are listed under CITES.

Please e-mail Wildlife.Ontario@ec.gc.ca for your copy of Endangered Species and the Traveller, a brochure describing the souvenirs that you may and may not bring back to Canada.

Search the CITES database to learn more about which species are protected by CITES.