CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) was created to ensure that international trade in wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. Under this treaty, countries work together to regulate the international trade of animal and plant species to prevent species from becoming endangered or extinct because of international trade. CITES is an international agreement to which States adhere voluntarily, and there are currently 180 signatories to the convention. These states agree to be bound by the Convention and adopted its own domestic legislation to implement CITES on a national level.
CITES accords varying degrees of protection to more than 35,000 species of animals and plants. All import and export has to be authorized through a licensing system. Each Party to the Convention must designate one or more Management Authorities in charge of administering that licensing system and one or more Scientific Authorities to advise them on the effects of trade on the status of the species. The species covered by CITES are listed in three Appendices, according to the degree of protection they need. The Conference of the Parties (CoP), which is the supreme decision-making body of the Convention and comprises all its Member States, had agreed on a set of biological and trade criteria to help determine whether a species should be in Appendices I or II. Species may be added to or removed from Appendix I and II, or moved between them, only by the Conference of the Parties.
The backbone of CITES is the permit system. International trade in species listed by CITES is illegal unless authorized by permit. Permits are issued only if a country’s Management and Scientific Authorities determine that trade is legal and does not threaten the species’ survival in the wild. The use of standardized permit forms allows officials at points of export and import to verify that specimens are properly documented. They also allow for collection of species-specific trade data to determine trends in trade, including increases or decreases in trade levels that may indicate a need to reassess a species listing in the CITES Appendices.
Until the early 1960s, trade in wild animals and plants focused on consumer demand with little regard for its impact on the long-term survival of species. CITES was created when international discussions turned to this unregulated trade and the threat it posed to wildlife.
Appendix I includes species threatened with extinction and provides the greatest level of protection. CITES prohibits international trade in endangered specimens except in exceptional circumstances when the purpose of the import is not commercial, for instance for scientific research. In these exceptional cases, trade may take place if authorized by the granting of both an import permit and an export permit. Examples include gorillas, sea turtles and giant pandas.
Appendix II includes species not necessarily threatened with extinction, but that may become so unless trade is closely controlled. International trade in specimens of Appendix II species may be authorized by the granting of an export permit. No import permit is necessary for these species under CITES. Examples include American ginseng, paddlefish, lions and many corals.
This Appendix contains species that are protected in at least one country, which has asked other CITES Parties for assistance in controlling the trade. It is a Party that already regulates trade in the species and that needs the cooperation of other countries to prevent unsustainable or illegal exploitation. International trade in specimens of species listed in this Appendix is allowed only on presentation of the appropriate permits or certificates. Examples include map turtles, walrus and Cape stag beetles.
