Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget; CITES Master's Course

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Published

September 25, 2023

Issuing agencies

Interior DepartmentFish and Wildlife Service

Abstract

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are proposing a new information collection in use without Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval.

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 184 (Monday, September 25, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 184 (Monday, September 25, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65745-65747]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-20709]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-HQ-IA-2023-N068; FXIA167109CWT01/234/FF09A40000; OMB Control
Number 1018-New]

Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget; CITES Master's Course

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we,
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are proposing a new
information collection in use without Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) approval.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before
October 25, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be submitted within 30 days of
publication of this notice at <a href="https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>. Find this particular information collection by selecting
``Currently under Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using the
search function. Please provide a copy of your comments to the Service
Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, MS: PRB (JAO/3W), 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-
3803 (mail); or by email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a5eccbc3cafae6cac9c9e5c3d2d68bc2cad3"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="5811363e37071b373434183e2f2b763f372e">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>. Please reference ``1018-
CITES'' in the subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Madonna L. Baucum, Service Information
Collection Clearance Officer, by email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#baf3d4dcd5e5f9d5d6d6fadccdc994ddd5cc"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7d34131b12223e1211113d1b0a0e531a120b">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>, or by
telephone at (703) 358-2503. Individuals in the United States who are
deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial
711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay
services. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay
services offered within their country to make international calls to
the point-of-contact in the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction
Act (PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) and its implementing regulations at 5
CFR 1320.8(d)(1), all information collections require approval under
the PRA. We may not conduct or sponsor and you are not required to
respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently
valid OMB control number.
On February 14, 2023, we published in the Federal Register (88 FR
9533) a notice of our intent to request that OMB approve this
information collection. In that notice, we solicited comments for 60
days, ending on April 17, 2023. In an effort to increase public
awareness of, and participation in, our public commenting processes
associated with information collection requests, the Service also
published the Federal Register notice on <a href="http://Regulations.gov">Regulations.gov</a> (Docket No.
FWS-HQ-IA-2022-0142) to provide the public with an additional method to
submit comments (in addition to the typical <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4e07202821110d2122220e28393d60292138"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="fdb4939b92a2be929191bd9b8a8ed39a928b">[email&#160;protected]</span></a> email and
U.S. mail submission methods). We received two comments in response to
that notice. However, neither comment addressed the information
collection requirements, so no response is required.
As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent
burdens, we invite the public and other Federal agencies to comment on
new, proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This
helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements
and minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public
understand our information collection requirements and provide the
requested data in the desired format.
We are especially interested in public comment addressing the
following:
(1) Whether or not the collection of information is necessary for
the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including
whether or not the information will have practical utility;
(2) The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this collection
of information, including the validity of the methodology and
assumptions used;
(3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and
(4) How might the agency minimize the burden of the collection of
information on those who are to respond, including through the use of
appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological
collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g.,
permitting electronic submission of response.
Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of
public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request
to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, phone
number, email address, or other personal identifying information in
your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--including
your personal identifying information--may be made publicly available
at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your
personal identifying information from public review, we cannot
guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Abstract: Wildlife trafficking ranks as the second greatest threat
to species survival after habitat destruction. The United States
recognizes wildlife trafficking as a serious transnational crime that
threatens thousands of plant and animal species and undermines U.S.
priorities, including national security, human health, and economic
growth. The Service employs a science-based approach to counter
wildlife trafficking, including through the implementation of the
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna
and Flora (CITES). CITES is the sole global treaty dedicated to
preventing the unsustainable trade in plants and animals and is an
essential component to counter illegal wildlife trade as it provides
mechanisms and incentives to effectively manage natural resources. The
United States has been a Party to CITES since 1973. Under the
Endangered Species Act, the Service has been designated to carry out
the provisions of CITES for the United States.
As one of the largest and oldest environmental treaties in the
world, CITES is a key conservation tool for the protection of 35,000
plant and animal species. Currently 183 countries have agreed to
implement CITES. However, realizing the full conservation impact of
CITES remains challenging and is highly dependent on each country's
financial and technical capacity. Even when a Party has the political
will and desire to implement CITES, it may not have the resources,
systems, or personnel to effectively follow CITES' mandates, such as
evaluating permit

[[Page 65746]]

applications or enforcing laws. This creates inequity between countries
in how CITES is implemented, with serious downstream impacts such as
the degradation of wild populations and ecosystems, often resulting in
negative implications for communities living among wildlife.
To help develop the technical expertise necessary to effectively
implement CITES, the International University of Andaluc[iacute]a
(UNIA) offers a unique master's degree program entitled ``The
Management and Conservation of Species in Trade: The International
Framework'' (also known as the ``CITES Master's Course''). The program,
which was established in 1997, provides high-quality training focused
on the scientific foundations, techniques, and mechanisms of CITES
implementation. Approximately 400 students have graduated from the
program, many becoming leaders in CITES and global policy.
Recognizing the important potential offered through UNIA's CITES
Master's Course, the Service provides scholarships to support wildlife
professionals interested in furthering their CITES expertise by
participating in the course, with a focus on potential participants
from countries most vulnerable to illegal and unsustainable wildlife
trade. The competitive scholarships cover costs for tuition, lodging,
and supplies, provide an opportunity for the scholars to participate in
the CITES Conference of the Parties, and offer technical and financial
research support.
The Service collaborates with the Department of Interior's
International Technical Assistance Program (DOI-ITAP) through an
interagency agreement to manage the numerous logistics associated with
the scholarships. Scholarships support cohorts of students from Latin
America, the Caribbean, and Central and East Africa. The Service and
DOI-ITAP staff solicit recommendations from relevant CITES authorities,
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and U.S. Government agencies
working in those countries to select top candidates for the
scholarships. Recommendations are provided through direct communication
with project leads, most often via email. Project leads review
application packages submitted by candidates for the program.
We choose candidates based on certain criteria, such as the quality
of their applications, their present or future contribution to their
countries' CITES work, and their demonstration of a lasting commitment
to wildlife conservation and CITES implementation. Selected candidates
then follow a separate application process for acceptance into the
International University of Andaluc[iacute]a CITES Master's Course.
Although scholarship activities aid the candidates to assemble and
submit application materials to the University, the U.S. Government
does not influence who is accepted into the graduate program.
Prospective students must complete the ``Universidad Internacional
de Andalucia (UNIA) Application and/or Enrollment Form'' and submit it
to the Service for consideration. The UNIA application/enrollment form
collects the following information from prospective students:
<bullet> Trainee information, to include:

--Full name,
--Passport number,
--Date and place of birth,
--Nationality,
--Sex,
--Phone number(s),
--Email address, and
--Mailing Address

<bullet> Qualifications and professional background:

--Education information, to include level of education, degree/
certificate information, school, and studies undertaken, and
--Employment information, to include professional status, name of
employer, and job title.
<bullet> Enrollment information and type of enrollment for the
requested course.
<bullet> Payment information.
<bullet> Supplemental documents to be attached to application:

--Photocopy of passport,
--Payment receipt, and
--Program-specific documents.

We ask the scholars accepted into the master's program to assist in
project monitoring and evaluation by responding to periodic assessment
surveys throughout the course of their 1-year graduate experience so
that project officers can gauge the impact and effectiveness of the
training. After graduating, the scholars are requested to fill out an
assessment to further our understanding of the course's overall impact.
We also ask students to help develop communication and outreach
materials to share the impacts of the scholarships with partners and
the public. The pre- and post-training assessments collect the
following information:
<bullet> Trainee information, to include:

--Name,
--Gender,
--Age range,
--Institution represented,
--Job title/position,
--Contact information, such as their complete mailing address, phone
numbers, and email address, and
--Country.

<bullet> Trainee's assessment of training--Questions provide
participants an opportunity to offer feedback on their training to help
inform how we can improve project activities and goals.
<bullet> Potential effect of training on the trainee's job--
Questions provide an opportunity for participants to share how the
technical training provided through the scholarships may open
professional opportunities.
<bullet> Knowledge of biodiversity and CITES--Questions are
designed to measure the impact of training by quantifying changes in
each participant's knowledge of biodiversity and CITES between pre- and
post-training assessments.
<bullet> Capacity to apply knowledge on biodiversity and CITES--
Questions are designed to measure the impact of training by quantifying
changes in knowledge between pre- and post-training assessments.
The Service will use the information collected to ensure project
activities are meeting high project standards and are achieving
intended outcomes. In addition, information collected for project
outreach and communication will be used to inform the public on project
outcomes and to garner interest in future scholarship opportunities.
The public may request copies of the application form contained in
this information collection by sending a request to the Service
Information Collection Clearance Officer in ADDRESSES, above.
Title of Collection: CITES Master's Course.
OMB Control Number: 1018-New.
Form Number: None.
Type of Review: Existing information collection in use without OMB
approval.
Respondents/Affected Public: Program participants from foreign
public sector and foreign government entities.
Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.
Frequency of Collection: Annually.
Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.

[[Page 65747]]

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Average number Average number Average number Estimated
Requirement of annual of responses of annual Average completion annual burden
respondents each responses time per response hours *
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Nomination/Application
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Private Sector.............. 3 1 3 1 hour............ 3
Government.................. 30 1 30 1 hour............ 30
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Pre-Assessment Questionnaire
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Private Sector.............. 1 1 1 20 minutes........ 0
Government.................. 14 1 14 20 minutes........ 5
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Post-Assessment Questionnaire
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Private Sector.............. 1 1 1 20 minutes........ 0
Government.................. 14 1 14 20 minutes........ 5
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Totals.................. 63 .............. 63 .................. 43
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* Rounded.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required
to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a
currently valid OMB control number.
The authority for this action is the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).

Madonna Baucum,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-20709 Filed 9-22-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P

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