Adapted from the CITES web site: http://www.cites.org. Please consult that website for further details. (WRI date of website use: November 16, 2006.)

Background:
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES, is an agreement between governments to ensure that the survival of wild animals and plants is not threatened by uncontrolled exploitation.

Not one species protected by CITES has become extinct as a result of trade since the Convention entered into force and, for many years, CITES has been among the largest conservation agreements in existence.

Objectives:
CITES seeks to regulate trade in wildlife through a system of permits. The treaty members must issue permits allowing trade only if they are satisfied that it will not pose a threat to the survival of the species. Commercial trade in the most endangered species, including all apes and many monkeys, the great whales, elephants, tigers, many spotted cats, many birds of prey and parrots, all sea turtles and many other reptiles, orchids cacti and other plants, and other species is prohibited.

Commerce is permitted in other species which might become endangered if trade were not controlled and monitored. National authorities limit the number of permits issued for trade in these species, and records are maintained and analyzed. Trade in these plants and animals provide economic value, especially to developing countries and peoples, and enhances their interest in conserving them. The American alligator and the vicuna are notable examples of species which have benefited from CITES.

Definitions:
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
Annually, international wildlife trade is estimated to be worth billions of dollars and to include hundreds of millions of plant and animal specimens. The trade is diverse, ranging from live animals and plants to an array of wildlife products derived from them, including food products, exotic leather goods, wooden musical instruments, timber, tourist curios and medicines.

Levels of exploitation of some animal and plant species are high and the trade in them, together with other factors, such as habitat loss, is capable of heavily depleting their populations and even bringing some species close to extinction. Many wildlife species in trade are not endangered, but the existence of an agreement to ensure the sustainability of the trade is important in order to safeguard these resources for the future.

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 was conceived in the spirit of such cooperation. Today, it accords varying degrees of protection to more than 30,000 species of animals and plants, whether they are traded as live specimens, fur coats or dried herbs.

Operational Institutions and Procedures:
The Parties (member States) to CITES are collectively referred to as the Conference of the Parties (COP). The COP reviews progress in the conservation of species included in the Appendices; considers proposals to amend the lists of species in Appendices I and II; considers discussion documents and reports from the Secretariat, Parties, permanent committees or other working groups; recommends measures to improve the effectiveness of the Convention; and makes provisions (including the adoption of a budget) necessary to allow the Secretariat to function effectively.

The Secretariat plays a coordinating, advisory and servicing role in the working of the Convention. It acts as the repository for the reports, sample permits and other information submitted by the Parties; distributes information relevant to several or all Parties; issues new editions of Appendices I, II and III; undertakes occasional scientific and technical studies into issues affecting the implementation of the Convention; and arranges meetings of the Conference of the Parties and of the permanent Committees at regular intervals and to service those meetings.

In order to facilitate the work of the Conference of the Parties and to keep that work going between meetings, the Conference has established four permanent committees that report to it at each meeting. The Standing Committee (which is the Senior Committee) provides policy guidance to the Secretariat concerning the implementation of the Convention and oversees the management of the Secretariat's budget. The Animals Committee and the Plants Committee are committees of experts that provide specialized knowledge regarding species of animals and plants that are (or might become) subject to CITES trade controls. The Nomenclature Committee is responsible for standardizing the nomenclature used in the Appendices and in other CITES documents.

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Secretariat. 2006. List of Contracting Parties. Nairobi: United Nations Environment Program. Available online at: http://www.cites.org/eng/disc/parties/alphabet.shtml.