The Convention on

International Trade in

Endangered Species of Wild

Fauna and Flora (CITES)

Can you imagine living in a world without plants such

as orchids, mahogany trees, and cacti? Or a world

without populations of great whales, sea turtles, and

parrots? The vast diversity of the world’s plant and

animal life is disappearing at a faster rate than new

species are being discovered and recorded.

Scientists estimate that within the next 30 years,

more than one-fifth of the millions of types of plants,

animals, and other organisms living here on Earth

will become extinct.

Faced with these frightening facts, representatives from around the world have united in ratifying

the Convention on International Trade in Endangered

Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to protect

the world’s wild plant and animal species by regulating their use in commercial trade. CITES representatives are working to ensure that tomorrow’s generation will have a chance to see the rich and plentiful

wild fauna and flora we see today.

What Is CITES?

CITES is a comprehensive conservation treaty

signed by more than 150 countries, including the

United States. This international agreement regulates the commercial trade of endangered species

and monitors the trade of species that are at risk of

becoming endangered. Since the treaty’s ratification

in 1974, CITES representatives have worked tirelessly to protect the world’s wildlife.

Many species of both plants and animals have

become threatened or endangered because of unregulated trade. CITES representatives work to preserve thousands of plants, mammals, amphibians,

and fish that have been traded commercially without

oversight in the past. Some of the plants and animals that are endangered or threatened include

mahogany trees, insectivorous plants, Madonna lilies,

and cacti, as well as sea turtles, bald eagles, and

African gorillas.

How CITES Protects Wildlife and Plants

In an attempt to prevent species from disappearing, CITES representatives established a system of

controls over the international trade of threatened

plants and wildlife. Products like clothing, medicine,

and souvenirs made from wild flora and fauna are

also regulated or restricted. Under this system, governments issue permits authorizing plants and wildlife

to be traded from one country to another.

The CITES treaty classifies plants and wildlife

into three categories or appendices based on different protection levels.

Appendix I species are the most stringently regulated because their status is creeping close to extinction. This appendix includes all species threatened

with extinction (e.g., some cacti, some orchids,

African gorillas, and parrots) that may or may not be

affected by trade. Permits for the export of these

species cannot be issued except under special circumstances, and none of these species can be used

for commercial purposes.

However, there are a few exceptions. Appendix I

plants that have been artificially propagated must be

accompanied by a certificate of artificial propagation

or an export permit, but an import permit is not

required. These plants can be traded for commercial

purposes. Both orchid seedlings and tissue cultures,

if grown on sterile media in sterile containers, are

exempt from CITES permit requirements. Many

Appendix II plants, excluding cacti, are also exempt

from CITES permit requirements.

Appendix II species (e.g., American ginseng,

bigleaf mahogany, most orchids, and birdwing butterflies) are protected and classified as threatened.

Although these species are not currently near extinction, they may become extinct unless their trade is

strictly regulated. CITES requires that exporting

countries supply traders with the proper permits

before Appendix II species can leave one country

and enter another.

Finally, Appendix III contains species (e.g.,

Spanish cedar and Asiatic buffalo) that countries

deem necessary to regulate to prevent the species’

exploitation. Countries ask for the cooperation and

assistance of other countries in protecting Appendix

III species. For these species, a CITES permit is

required from the country that requested the species

to be added to the list. A CITES certificate of origin

is needed for Appendix III species from all other

countries.

International Enforcement 

CITES representatives convene at least once

every 2 or 3 years to evaluate the state of the world’s

wild fauna and flora. During these conventions,

national representatives vote on whether to transfer

species from one appendix to another and whether to

add or remove a species from the list.

Factsheet

Plant Protection and Quarantine March 2006

APHIS
Participating countries enforce the treaty’s provisions and impose penalties upon individuals caught

smuggling plants and wildlife listed in the appendices.

Both importing and exporting countries are held

accountable for adhering to CITES provisions and

regulations in the trading of plants and animals.

Countries must ensure that species are not illegally

exported or imported from one country to another.

Persons caught smuggling plants or wildlife from one

country to another may face criminal prosecution.

U.S. Enforcement

As the U.S. management authority, the U.S.

Department of the Interior’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service (FWS) is responsible for overseeing all

aspects of CITES within the United States. In particular, FWS enforces all CITES regulations with regard to

endangered animals or products from these animals

being transported into or out of the United States.

FWS ensures that importers and exporters have the

proper permits for transporting and trading these animals or products.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA)

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)

enforces the provisions of CITES related to plants and

works closely with FWS. Officials from APHIS’ Plant

Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) program inspect all

plant shipments imported into the United States

through the 16 plant-inspection stations located

nationwide. Depending upon inspection results,

APHIS employees may refuse entry, seize, or release

plants that are imported or presented for export.

APHIS is responsible for enforcing plant quarantine

laws and the CITES permit requirements during these

plant inspections. In addition, employees of the U.S.

Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and

Border Protection unit now handle inspection of nonliving CITES imports such as lumber, medicinal products, and other related items at U.S. ports-of-entry.

APHIS’ Role

In fiscal year 2005, nearly 1.5 billion plants were

inspected for quarantine purposes at APHIS’ 16 plantinspection stations. More than 50 million of those

plants were regulated because of their status as

endangered species. APHIS also facilitated the

export of 3 million CITES plants and more than 2 million kilograms of CITES-regulated products such as

ginseng. If plants protected by CITES arrive at an

APHIS plant-inspection station without the appropriate

documents or the plants do not match the documentation accompanying them, inspectors seize the plants

immediately. APHIS then obtains legal ownership

through forfeiture procedures.

APHIS notifies FWS of all seized plants protected

by CITES. FWS distributes these plants to designated “rescue centers” throughout the United States.

One such rescue center is the Smithsonian Institution

in Washington, DC, where many endangered orchids

are displayed for the public’s enjoyment and education. CITES officials of the countries from which the

seized plants originated are notified of the plants’

placement in the rescue center, and the exporting

country may arrange to bring the plants back at its

own expense.

FWS also consults with APHIS to ensure that

exotic animal species entering the country under

CITES meet animal-quarantine requirements so that

these animals will not introduce pests and diseases

that could endanger animal health or the livestock

industries of the United States. When U.S. zoological

facilities apply to FWS for CITES permits to import

protected animals, FWS verifies with APHIS that

these facilities are in compliance with the Animal

Welfare Act. APHIS also manages two quarantine

facilities for smuggled birds. After the birds undergo

quarantine, APHIS works with FWS to place these

smuggled, endangered, and threatened birds in

aviaries or zoological parks.

Securing Necessary Permits

Importing CITES-protected plants into the United

States requires several documents from various government agencies. All permit arrangements should be

made as far in advance as possible. APHIS inspectors cannot make last-minute arrangements to allow

endangered plants into or out of the United States

without the proper documentation from FWS and the

CITES-management authorities of other countries.

Permits that may be required include the following:

• Export permits from the wildlife permit office of 

the country of origin.

• Import permits for Appendix I material from the 

FWS Federal Wildlife Permit Office.

• Import permits from APHIS. All plants imported 

for growing or propagation must meet plant health

permit and quarantine requirements.

• A Protected Plant Permit (or general permit) from 

APHIS for commercial shipments of 

CITES-regulated plants.
If there is ever any doubt about whether CITES

requirements apply, APHIS recommends that individuals and businesses ask questions in advance rather

than risk facing confiscation and possible legal penalties. To verify plant permit requirements and to secure

the proper forms, labels, and instructions, contact

USDA–APHIS–PPQ

Permit Unit

4700 River Road, Unit 133

Riverdale, MD 20737–1236

(301) 734–7472 or (877) 770–5990

Telefax: (301) 734–5786

Web site: <http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/

permits/plantproducts/cites-esa.html>.

Or

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Division of Management Authority

4401 North Fairfax Drive, Room 700

Arlington, VA 22203

(1–800) 358–2104 or (703) 358–2104

Telefax: (703) 358–2281

E-mail: managementauthority@fws.gov

APHIS charges fees for some permits and 

certificates, as well as inspection and quarantine services.

Buyers Beware

Despite international efforts to enforce CITES,

some plant species are in danger of becoming extinct

because of illegal trade through laundering, poaching,

smuggling, and improper documentation. For example, smugglers have attempted to hide endangered

plants in baggage or to falsify propagation papers for

Appendix I plants that actually were collected from the

wild.

The United States is the world’s largest consumer

of wildlife and their products, followed by Japan and

Western Europe. Consumers can assist international

efforts to protect wildlife by becoming better informed.

Reducing demand for wild-collected endangered

plants is a critical part of efforts to sustain wild flora

populations. However, many plants listed in Appendix

I are artificially propagated and are available for purchase from reputable nurseries and other botanical

sources.

The following tips can help preserve wild plants:

• While traveling, refrain from picking, digging up, or

buying plants or plant products that may be

endangered without checking first with the proper 

authorities.

• Always buy plants from reputable sources.

Remember that all cycads, orchids, and cacti are 

endangered species.

For more information on CITES, please visit the

APHIS CITES Web site at

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/permits/plantproducts/

cites-esa.html and the FWS Web site at

<http://www.fws.gov/international>.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination

in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national

origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status,

familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic

information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an

individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program.

(Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office

of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C.

20250–9410, or call (800) 795–3272 (voice) or (202) 720–6382

(TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.