Gumtree Australia Support Knowledgebase - Basics - Native wildlife trade & protected (native or exotic) species
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Native wildlife trade & protected (native or exotic) species



Protected species (native or exotic)

The trade of protected species (native or exotic), and the sale of products made from protected animals or plants, is not allowed on Gumtree. This includes the sale or trade of ivory or ivory products unless they were made before 1 July 1975 (items made before July 1975 are regarded as antiques). Make sure you possess the relevant CITES certificates for the item.

Gumtree takes this matter very seriously and any ads found to be in breach of the EPBC Act or CITES and reported to us for breaching these regulations will be removed from Gumtree, and may be referred to the relevant government authorities. Gumtree is a community platform and we rely on your feedback to help shape the site and keep it friendly, safe, up to date and relevant for everyone. While the vast majority of users have great success transacting with others, from time to time we do receive reports of people attempting to sell/trade in illegal products. Gumtree does not allow international trade. 

Gumtree works closely with regulators and law enforcement when they investigate the trade of illegal products by providing ad information and/or user details when they are requested.

Things you should know

Any endangered or protected plants or animals are species that will likely become extinct. There are various regulations (and penalties) in Australia aimed at protecting endangered species by forbidding trade, hunting and other activites. The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 explains that the protection and management of important flora, fauna, ecological communities and heritage places is a matter of national environmental significance. Under the Act, wildlife is classified as not just live animals, it is any whole part or derivative of a plant or animal either living or non living, for example, wood, seeds, insects, leather, fur, pills/medicines, teeth, meat, faeces, live plants, fresh or dried flowers. View the list of threatened animal and plant species on the CITES Species+ website.

CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, is also enforceable in Australia under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. CITES places species into three appendices based on their conservation status:

  • Appendix I (trade is prohibited because of the danger of extinction) includes (but is not limited to):
    • great apes, lemurs, the giant panda, many South American monkeys, great whales, cheetah, leopards, tiger, elephants, rhinoceroses, many birds of prey, some cranes, pheasants and parrots, all sea turtles, some crocodiles and lizards, giant salamanders, and some mussels, orchids, cycads and cacti.
  • Appendix II (trade is strictly regulated to protect from future extinction)
  • Appendix III (species that are protected in at least one country that has asked other CITES parties for help in controlling trade)
    • Trade in Appendix II or Appendix III species to/from Australia requires both a CITES export and import permit issued by CITES management authorities.
    • If the Appendix III specimen comes from any other country (i.e. not the listing country), a CITES certificate of origin must be obtained. These documents must be obtained from the CITES management authority in the country of export and import

A comprehensive database of every CITES species is available on the CITES International website.

If you want to buy/sell a protected animal or plant species you can find some useful information here.

Penalties

The trade of protected species (native or exotic), and the sale of products made from protected animals or plants, is not allowed on Gumtree.

You should be extremely cautious when buying plant or animal products online. If a product made from CITES listed plant or animal products is sent to you from overseas and is not accompanied by the proper permits, it may be seized by Customs and you could face severe penalties. You can download a full list of species that are not allowed to be imported at checklist.cites.org.

Protected Animals and Animal Products Policy

Gumtree does not allow the sale or trade of products containing plants or animal derivatives that are listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

The international movement of wildlife and wildlife products is regulated under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Ads that breach the wildlife protection laws and that are reported to us will be removed from the site.

Ivory

Gumtree does not permit the sale or trade of ivory or ivory products unless they were made before 1 July 1975 (items made before July 1975 are regarded as antiques). Make sure you possess the relevant CITES certificates for the item.

Native animal/reptile trading – state/licencing requirements

In addition to national laws, every Australian state and territory has its own list of specimens that they will or will not allow within its borders, and licences are required in some states in order to keep a native reptile, bird, frog or mammal as a pet. So before trading any type of species on Gumtree, you should also check your home state or territory laws.

As an example, in New South Wales: To keep a native reptile, bird, frog or mammal as a pet you need to first have a biodiversity conservation licence granted under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (NSW) from the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (National Parks and Wildlife Service). The type of biodiversity conservation licence needed depends on the species and number of animals you want to keep.

Further information can be found here:

Laws and regulations

Australia has strict regulations about the trade and possession of protected animals, animal products and plants. The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the EPBC Act) is the Australian Government’s legal framework for the protection and management of important flora, fauna, ecological communities and heritage places — defined in the EPBC Act as matters of national environmental significance.

CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, is also enforceable in Australia under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

CITES places species into three categories (appendices) based on their conservation status and their risk from trade. The three CITES appendices are combined into a single list in Australia called “The guide to the list of CITES species”. This list clearly identifies the conditions or restrictions that apply to each specimen, the appendix under which it has been listed and the date of listing. A comprehensive database of every CITES species is available on the CITES International website.

Any ads found to be in breach of the EPBC Act or CITES and reported to us for breaching these regulations will be removed from Gumtree.

More information

For further information on the Australian and international regulations for wildlife trade please see;