The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was formed to control international trading of endangered species. There was a threat of extinction prevailing. Its goal is to guarantee that worldwide trading in wild animal and plant specimens does not endanger their existence.
Convention On International Trade In Endangered Species Of Wild Fauna And Flora (Cites)
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which has been in effect since 1975, strives to maintain that global commerce in flora and fauna specimens doesn’t really jeopardize their survival. Nearly 5,000 animal species and 30,000 plant species are included in the Convention’s three appendices and hence safeguarded by it.
Countries who are into the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora are as follows
- Argentina
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Chile
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Cuba
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guyana
- Honduras
- Jamaica
- Mexico
- Nicaragua
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Saint Kitts & Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Suriname
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
Functions Of The Secretariat In Regular Practise
Each Party shall keep records of trafficking in samples of species listed in the Appendices and shall compile and submit to the Secretariat regular reports on its compliance with the present Convention. These reports will comprise a yearly annual account with a summary of statistics on the trafficking in species specified in Annexes I, II, and III. It also includes a biannual reporting statement on legislation, regulatory, and administration actions required to accomplish the current Convention’s provisions. This herein will be made publicly available if it is not contradictory to the legislation of the Party in question.
The Secretariat’s tasks must include producing and communicating to the Parties current versions of Appendices I, II, and III, as well as any material that will facilitate the identification of samples of species listed in those Appendices.
Categories Of International Conservation With Different Levels Of Protection
- Appendix I: contains the world’s top endangered flora and fauna, including tigers and gorillas. Except in exceptional situations, such as scientific study, international commercial movement in certain species, or even portions of them, is absolutely prohibited
- Appendix II: Includes species such as the hippopotamus and numerous corals that are not currently driven to extinction but may become so if unrestricted trading is authorized. For conservation purposes, “look-alike” species that strongly resemble those really on the list are also included. Plants and animals in this classification can be exchanged on a global scale, but only under rigorous conditions
- Appendix III: Species whose trading is solely controlled inside a single nation may be put on Appendix III if that government seeks assistance from other countries to avoid commercialisation and exploitation
Conclusion
We discussed the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, Countries who are part of CITES, Functions of the Secretariat in regular practice, and other related topics through the study material notes on the Full Form Of CITES. We also discussed Categories of international conservation with different levels of protection for better clarity.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is a global binding consensus among nations to control, restrict and prohibit international trading of the threatened flora & fauna.