50 years of CITES: Shielding wildlife from trade-driven extinction

Originally conceived successful 1963 astatine a gathering of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Convention entered into unit successful 1975, arsenic the archetypal planetary statement of its kind. It continues to service arsenic a captious instrumentality to assistance forestall the accelerated diminution of species.  

Why CITES matters?

The urgency of CITES’ ngo is clear: planetary wildlife commercialized is present worthy billions of dollars, and unregulated commercialized – alongside situation nonaccomplishment and overexploitation – continues to thrust susceptible taxon towards extinction.

Because specified commercialized span borders, planetary practice is critical.

“CITES is not a static statement oregon self-sustaining,” said Ivonne Higuero, Secretary-General of CITES, marking the anniversary.

“It is simply a surviving committedness to put successful quality – a committedness to the future, to each different and to the millions of taxon with whom we stock this planet.”

With 185 parties – States oregon determination economical organizations – wherever the Convention has entered into force, CITES regulates commercialized for implicit 40,000 works and animal, covering unrecorded animals, timber and herbal products.

Real satellite impact

CITES has established itself arsenic 1 of the astir effectual multilateral biology agreements by processing consensus-based governance and implementation tools specified arsenic the CITES Trade Database – the world’s astir broad root of planetary wildlife commercialized information – and guidelines for ineligible acquisition, permitting and enforcement.

Thanks to the Convention, planetary collaboration has brought critically endangered taxon from the brink, similar African elephants, pangolin and crocodiles.

A cardinal initiative, the Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) Programme, operates astatine implicit 70 sites crossed Africa and Asia, covering astir fractional of the pachyderm population. MIKE information has contributed to a downward inclination successful amerciable killings, particularly successful Africa.

Looking ahead

CITES Secretary-General Higuero called connected the planetary assemblage to stay committed to the cause.

“Let the adjacent 50 years beryllium marked by deeper unity, sharper absorption and bolder action,” she said.

“We indispensable proceed aiming precocious and physique a satellite wherever chaotic animals and plants thrive successful their earthy habitats, wherever commercialized supports – not threatens – biodiversity, and wherever radical and satellite prosper successful harmony.”

UN and CITES

The CITES secretariat is supported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which it with administrative and operational backing.  

CITES complements the enactment of different UN entities, specified arsenic the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to amended fisheries management, capableness gathering and method practice with the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), and initiatives focusing connected the younker with the UN Development Programme.