Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of 1973 (CITES) Drafted in 1973 and entered into force in July of 1975 Was adopted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature CITES is an international agreement to which parties adhere voluntarily. It provides a framework for each Party, which has to adopt its own domestic legislation to make sure that CITES is implemented at the national level.

What is CITES and what does it do? By the middle of the 20th century, governments began to see that trade in some wild animals and plants had a devastating impact on those species. These species were being driven toward extinction. But with this agreement, nations pledged to follow rules to monitor, regulate or ban international trade in species under threat. After four decades, CITES remains one of the cornerstones of international conservation with 175 member countries and trade regulated in more than 34,000 species. Cites has 3 Appendices for the protection of animals they are: Appendix I: Includes the world’s most endangered plants and animals, such as tigers and gorillas. Trade in these species, or even parts of them, is completely banned, except for rare cases such as scientific research. Appendix II: Contains species like hippopotamus and many corals that are not yet threatened with extinction but which could become threatened if unlimited trade were allowed. Plants and animals in this category can be traded internationally, but there are strict rules. Appendix III: Species whose trade is only regulated within a specific country and requires cooperation from other nations to help prevent illegal exploitation.

Who enforces CITES? CITES works by subjecting international trade of animals of endangered or selected species to certain controls. All import, export, re-export and introduction of species protected by the Convention has to be authorized through a licensing system. Each Party to the Convention must designate Management Authorities in charge of administering this licensing system and Scientific Authorities to advise them on the effects of trade on the status of the species.