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Introduction
CITES was established as a result of a decision adopted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 1963. (IUCN). A membership organisation that comprises both government and non-governmental organisations is the only one of its kind in existence. Human improvement, economic growth, and environmental preservation may all be achieved at the same time with the help of this book.
As of July 1, 1975, all of the provisions of CITES were legally binding. It protects endangered species from being harmed by international trade in wild animals and plants. The CITES Secretariat is housed in Geneva, Switzerland, under the auspices of the UNEP (United Nations Environment Program). By organising, advising and providing services, it aids with the Convention’s mission (CITES). Each country that has signed the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) is a signatory. Legally, CITES is binding on the Parties, although it does not override their own laws. Because of this, each Party must follow a set of rules and regulations that must be followed in order for CITES to be implemented at the national level.
Table of content
Function of CITES
- The CITES works by imposing restrictions on international trading in specimens of specific species.
- All species covered by the Convention must be imported, exported, re-exported, and introduced from the sea through a licencing system.
- Each Convention Party must nominate one or more Management Authorities to monitor the licencing system and one or more Scientific Authorities to advise them on the effects of trade on the condition of the species. The Convention’s Appendices I, II, and III contain lists of species that have different levels or forms of protection from overexploitation.
CITES Contribution
- The CITES governs international commerce in around 35,000 species of plants and animals, with international commercial trade generally outlawed for 3% of these species and international commercial trade controlled for the remaining 97% to ensure lawful, sustainable, and traceable trade.
- For the past 42 years, CITES has been at the forefront of the debate over the sustainable use of biodiversity, and its data bases contain records of over 12,000,000 international trade transactions – trade that has benefited local communities on numerous occasions, such as with the vicua in South America.
- The international trade of wool cloth and other manufactured products (luxury and knitted handicrafts) derived from the shearing of live vicuas is permitted under CITES Appendix II.
- It estimates that illegal commerce is worth between USD 5 billion and USD 20 billion per year, an illegal activity that is driving numerous species to extinction while also denying local people of development options and governments of revenue opportunities.
- To combat illegal wildlife trade, the CITES Secretariat, INTERPOL (International Criminal Police Organization), the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the World Bank, and the World Customs Organization formed the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC).
- It brings together the whole enforcement chain to aid national and regional agencies in combating illegal wildlife trading.
CITES and India
- India is one of the world’s acknowledged mega-diverse countries, home to approximately 7-8 percent of the world’s documented species and four of the 34 globally recognised biodiversity hotspots (Himalaya, Indo-Burma, Western Ghats and Sri Lanka, Sundaland).
- India possesses a vast library of traditional knowledge in addition to biological resources. About 91,200 animal species and 45,500 plant species have been identified in the country’s ten biogeographic zones, and inventories of floral and faunal variety are being gradually updated with varied new discoveries through frequent surveys and study.
- As a CITES Party, India actively prohibits international commerce in endangered wild species and has implemented a variety of anti-invasive alien species measures (e.g. certificates for exports, permits for imports, etc.).India has requested that rosewood (Dalbergia sissoo) be removed from CITES Appendix II. The plant spreads rapidly and has the ability to naturalise outside of its native range; it is also invasive in other regions of the world.
- It is not essential to regulate the species’ trade in order to keep it from being eligible for inclusion in Appendix I in the foreseeable future.
- Small clawed otters (Aonyx cinereus), smooth coated otters (Lutrogale perspicillata), and Indian Star Tortoise (Geochelone elegans) have also been suggested to be moved from Appendix II to Appendix I, offering the species extra protection.
- Gekko gecko and Wedgefish (Rhinidae) are also proposed to be added to CITES Appendix II.
- For Chinese traditional medicine, the Gekko gecko is highly valued.
Conclusion
CITES prohibits these species in the wild from being over-traded and exploited in an unsustainable manner. Their extinction would have irreversible ecological impacts as well as significant economic and societal ramifications if they were not protected. Illegal wildlife trade affects national security and damages critical and irreplaceable ecosystems. If we wish to conserve charismatic species like elephants and seahorses from extinction, we must appreciate and promote the endangered species trade. There are numerous difficulties with accords like CITES; it is not designed to compete directly with well-organized black market poachers. It does, however, empower states to safeguard species.
