U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Convention on

International Trade in

Endangered Species

What is the Convention on International

Trade in Endangered Species of Wild

Fauna and Flora (CITES)?

In the early 1960s, international discussion

began focusing on the rate at which the

world’s wild animals and plants were being

threatened by unregulated international

trade.

CITES entered into force in 1975, and

became the only global treaty that ensures

that international wildlife trade is based on

sustainable use and management of wild

and captive populations. It provides a

framework for cooperation and

collaboration among nations to prevent

further decline in wild populations of

animals and plants.

More than 160 countries, including the

United States, implement CITES, with

new countries joining each year.

Who is involved?

A Secretariat, located in Geneva,

Switzerland, administers the treaty.

Permanent committees (Standing,

Animals, Plants, and Nomenclature

Committees) provide technical and

scientific support to member countries

(called Parties). Each Party designates

Management and Scientific Authorities to

process permits, make legal and scientific

findings, and monitor trade.

The Conference of the Parties (COP) meets

approximately every two years to review

CITES implementation and assess the

status of species in trade. Through the

adoption of resolutions and species

proposals, the COP develops practical

solutions to complex wildlife trade

problems.

Non-governmental organizations,

representing conservation, animal welfare,

trade, zoological, botanical, and scientific

interests, participate as non-voting

observers at COPs and Animals and Plants

Committee meetings.

How are species listed?

Cacti, iguanas, and parrots represent some

of the approximately 30,000 species

protected by CITES, which are listed in

three appendices.

! Appendix I includes species threatened

with extinction and allows no

commercial trade in these species.

Examples include gorillas, sea turtles,

most lady slipper orchids, and giant

pandas.

! Appendix II includes species that,

although currently not threatened with

extinction, may become so without trade

controls. It includes species that

resemble other listed species and could

be misidentified. Most CITES species

are listed in this appendix, including

American ginseng, paddlefish, and many

corals.

! Appendix III includes species that a

range country has asked for cooperation

from other parties to help them better

control international trade in native

species. Examples include the walrus

and Cape stag beetle.

How does CITES monitor trade?

The backbone of CITES is the permit

system that facilitates international

cooperation in conservation and trade

monitoring. 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 inspection officials at ports of export

and import to quickly verify that CITES

specimens are properly documented. They

also facilitate the collection of speciesspecific trade data, which are used in the

creation of annual reports. These data are

used to determine trends in trade and to

ensure that significant trade in wildlife is

sustainable.

© photo information on reverse
This monitoring of trade has created a

substantial body of information on the

management and use of CITES species

worldwide.

What has CITES achieved and where is it

going?

Over the last couple of decades, CITES

has helped ensure global conservation of

species. As advancing technology makes it

possible to ship wildlife anywhere in the

world and as issues of wildlife use grow

ever more complex, CITES provides tools

to effectively conserve the world’s diverse

natural resources.

Increased commitment by Parties to

treaty implementation has helped control

global over-exploitation of wildlife and

improved legislation at the national level to

enforce CITES. Increased regional

communication among Parties also has

improved conservation of wildlife across

political borders.

The Parties have adopted a 5-year strategic

plan to guide CITES. The plan sets the

following goals:

! Enhance the ability of each Party to

implement the Convention.

! Strengthen the scientific basis of the

decision-making processes.

! Contribute to the reduction and ultimate

elimination of illegal trade in wild

animals and plants.

! Increase cooperation and conclude

strategic alliances with international

stakeholders.

! Promote a greater understanding of the

Convention.

! Progress toward full global

membership.

! Provide the Convention with an

improved and secure financial and

administrative basis.

What can I do to help?

CITES, like most laws and treaties, needs

the cooperation and support of the public.

Everyone, from individuals to businesses,

has a role to play in making the treaty

effective by:

! Becoming aware of what wildlife and

wildlife products are protected, and

obtaining required permits.

! Sharing biological and trade data on

species.

! Ensuring that trade practices are based

on principles of sustainability.

! Educating others on the importance of

conserving the animals and plants that

comprise the diverse life of this planet.

Front Top to Bottom:

Lion/© Corel Corporation

Parrots/USFWS

Sea turtle/© Corel Corporation

Pitcher plant/© CITES

Left:

COP meeting/USFWS

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

International Affairs

Division of Management Authority

4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 700

Arlington, VA 22203

703/358-2104 or 800/358-2104

Fax 703/358-2281

e-mail: managementauthority@fws.gov

http://international.fws.gov

http://permits.fws.gov

Summer 2003

“Recognizing, in

addition, that

international

cooperation is

essential for the

protection of

certain species of

wild fauna and

flora against

over-exploitation

through

international

trade.”

CITES Preamble