Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Agreement 2024

Convention-on-International-Trade-in-Endangered-Species-of-Wild-Fauna-and-Flora-(CITES)-Agreement-2024

An international agreement between governments

Entered into force in 1975 and India became the 25th party in 1967.

Its aim is to ensure that international trade in wild animal and plant specimens does not endanger their survival.

Although Parties are legally binded by the CITES – states/parties have to implement the Convention - it does not take the place of national laws.

The CITES Secretariat is located in Geneva, Switzerland and it is administered by UNEP. The CITES is the supreme decision making body of the Convention and comprises all its parties.

It has three appendices:

Appendix I - It includes species threatened with extinction. These species are permitted to trade only in exceptional circumstances.

Appendix II - It provides a minimal level of protection.

Appendix III - It contains species that are protected in at least one of it's country, which has asked other CITES Parties (countries) for assistance in controlling trade.