CITES

CITES has three appendices that list species based on the degree to which they are threatened:

• Appendix I lists species that are the most endangered. They are threatened with extinction and CITES prohibits international trade in specimens of these species except when the purpose of the import is not commercial, for instance, for scientific research.
• Appendix II lists species that are not necessarily threatened with extinction at the moment but that may become so unless trade is closely controlled.
• Appendix III is a list of species included at the request of a member country that already regulates trade in the species and that needs the cooperation of other countries to prevent unsustainable or illegal exploitation.

The Convention is managed by a secretariat administered by the United Nations Environment Programme, whose primary role is to coordinate, advise and administer the working of the Convention as well as monitor implementation.

There are 185 parties to CITES, and over 40,000 species are listed as “protected” under the treaty. Despite such broad participation and coverage, safeguarding of species under CITES has fallen short of intent. Some countries—responding to the intense demand for threatened and endangered species—seek to undermine CITES or weaken the protections it affords.

Implementation of CITES requirements by member countries is also problematic. For instance, member countries exporting Appendix II species are required to make a non-detriment finding (NDF) to ensure that trade will not harm the species in the wild. While CITES has adopted broad standards for NDFs and engages in capacity-building to help countries meet their NDF responsibilities, complete compliance is compromised by the fact that member countries assert the right to determine their own NDF protocol and procedures. CITES currently does not require NDFs to be in writing, made publicly available, or even provided to importing countries as proof the trade is legal.

Valuable and highly exploited wildlife is suffering for the sake of commercial trade. CITES is currently failing to safeguard many of the threatened and endangered plants and animals in dire need of protection. From bluefin tuna who have been unsustainably fished for decades and whose populations have declined precipitously in the last 50 years, to vastly depleted pink and red corals collected to make jewelry, the continued international trade in many species severely compromises their chances of survival. Decisions at CITES should be based on science and motivated by the desire to conserve species. Politics, palates, economics, and vanity, however, are often primary factors in decisions over which species get listed and what proposals are put forth. Time will tell whether CITES will evolve into a treaty that truly regulates sustainable trade and offers species threatened by international trade the protections they need and deserve.