Title 16ConservationRelease 119-73

§4244 Definitions

Title 16 › Chapter CHAPTER 62— - AFRICAN ELEPHANT CONSERVATION › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER III— - MISCELLANEOUS › § 4244

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Defines key words used in the chapter about African elephants and ivory. African elephant: Loxodonta africana; CITES: Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora; CITES Ivory Control System: CITES' ivory quota and marking program; Fund: account created by Public Law 105–277, division A, section 101(e), title I (16 U.S.C. 4246); import/importation: meanings in the Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.); intermediary country: exports ivory not originating there; ivory producing country: any African country with part of elephant range; ivory quota: quota sent to the CITES Secretariat under that system; personal effects: non‑sale household goods when moving to or from the United States or in accompanying baggage; raw ivory: tusk or piece with an unaltered or minimally carved surface; Secretary: Secretary of the Interior; United States: the fifty States, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and U.S. territories and possessions; worked ivory: any tusk or piece that is not raw ivory.

Full Legal Text

Title 16, §4244

Conservation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

In this chapter—
(1)the term “African elephant” means any animal of the species loxodonta africana;
(2)the term “CITES” means the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora;
(3)the term “CITES Ivory Control System” means the ivory quota and marking system established by CITES to curtail illegal trade in African elephant ivory;
(4)the term “Fund” means the account established by division A, section 101(e), title I of Public Law 105–277 under the heading “multinational species conservation fund” [16 U.S.C. 4246];
(5)the terms “import” and “importation” have the meanings such terms have in the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.);
(6)the term “intermediary country” means a country that exports raw or worked ivory that does not originate in that country;
(7)the term “ivory producing country” means any African country within which is located any part of the range of a population of African elephants;
(8)the term “ivory quota” means a quota submitted by an ivory producing country to the CITES Secretariat in accordance with the CITES Ivory Control System;
(9)the term “personal effects” means articles which are not intended for sale and are part of a shipment of the household effects of a person who is moving his or her residence to or from the United States, or are included in personal accompanying baggage;
(10)the term “raw ivory” means any African elephant tusk, and any piece thereof, the surface of which, polished or unpolished, is unaltered or minimally carved;
(11)the term “Secretary” means the Secretary of the Interior;
(12)the term “United States” means the fifty States, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the territories and possessions of the United States; and
(13)the term “worked ivory” means any African elephant tusk, and any piece thereof, which is not raw ivory.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Division A, section 101(e), title I of Public Law 105–277, referred to in par. (4), is Pub. L. 105–277, div. A, § 101(e) [title I], Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2681–231, 2681–232. Provisions under the heading “multinational species conservation fund” in Pub. L. 105–277, § 101(e) [title I] appear at 112 Stat. 2681–237, and are classified in part to section 4246 of this title. The Endangered Species Act of 1973, referred to in par. (5), is Pub. L. 93–205, Dec. 28, 1973, 87 Stat. 884, which is classified generally to chapter 35 (§ 1531 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 1531 of this title and Tables.

Amendments

2002—Par. (4). Pub. L. 107–111 substituted “the account established by division A, section 101(e), title I of Public Law 105–277 under the heading ‘multinational species conservation fund’ ” for “the African Elephant Conservation Fund established by section 4212 of this title”.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

16 U.S.C. § 4244

Title 16Conservation

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73