What is CITES?

The landmark UN General Assembly resolution on tackling illicit trafficking in wildlife adopted last year, and reaffirmed in September this year, recognises the fundamental legal framework provided by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in regulating international trade in wildlife and in combating illicit trafficking of wildlife. It aims to “enhance global support for efforts to combat poaching and trafficking of protected species, including by increasing the capacity of local communities to pursue sustainable livelihood opportunities.”

CITES is an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. Widespread information nowadays about the endangered status of many prominent species, such as the tiger and elephants, might make the need for such a convention seem obvious.

But at the time when the ideas for CITES were first formed in the 1960s, international discussion of the regulation of wildlife trade for conservation purposes was something relatively new. With hindsight, the need for CITES is clear. Annually, international wildlife trade is estimated to be worth billions of dollars and to include hundreds of millions of plant and animal specimens.

Because the trade in wild animals and plants crosses borders between countries, the effort to regulate it requires international cooperation to safeguard certain species from over-exploitation. CITES accords varying degrees of protection to more than 35,000 species of animals and plants, irrespective of whether they are traded as live specimens, fur coats or as dried herbs.

CITES was drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of IUCN (The World Conservation Union). On July 1, 1975 CITES entered in force. The original of the Convention was deposited with the Depositary Government in Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish languages, each version being equally authentic.

Although CITES is legally binding on the Parties in other words they have to implement the Convention it does not take the place of national laws. Rather it provides a framework to be respected by each Party, which has to adopt its own domestic legislation to ensure that CITES would be implemented at the national level. For many years CITES has been among the conservation agreements with the largest membership with the present 183 Parties in it.