CITES Convention

CITES is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention. 

• CITES was drafted after a resolution adopted in 1963, in a meeting of members of IUCN (Expand)
• The convention opened for signature in 1973. 
• CITES came into effect on 1st July 1975.
• It aims to ensure that the trade of individual specimens of a plant or animal does not pose any threat to its survival.
• Those indulging in this international trade must also make sure that there are more than 30,000 species of this specimen survive. 
• India became a part of CITES in 1975. 

Importance of CITES

As many prominent species on earth are endangered, the need for CITES has increased manyfold. As trade in wildlife increased in the 1960s, it started affecting their population. Whether the trade was of animals or plants, the products include food products, exotic leather goods, wooden musical instruments, timber, tourist curios, and medicines. 

They were being exploited when the demand became higher. It led to habitat loss, depletion of their population, and some even became extinct. As more and more wildlife species in trade start getting endangered, an agreement was made that ensured not only the sustainability of the trade but also safeguarded the natural resources.

As the trade was international, happening across borders, it required international cooperation to safeguard species from over-exploitation. Thus, CITES came into existence. Today, it offers different kinds of protection to more than 40,000 species of animals and plants. The protection includes live specimens and their products, such as fur coats or dried herbs.

Key Initiatives of CITES

• CITES protects more than 40,000 animals and plants.  
• MIKE Programme helps States in the management and monitoring of trends in the illegal killing of elephants. In India, it is seen in the Chirang-Ripu Elephant Reserve and the Dihing Patkai Elephant Reserve.
• Strategic Vision 2021–2030 to ensure wildlife trade supports global biodiversity and sustainable development goals.
• CITES Tree Species Programme (CTSP) supports sustainable and legal trade of CITES-listed tree species.
• International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC), 2010, strengthens the criminal justice systems through coordinated support at various levels to prevent wildlife and forest crime.

References

• https://cites.org/eng/disc/what.php
• VisionIAS. (2025, August 21). Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) | Current Affairs | Vision IAS. Current Affairs | Vision IAS. https://visionias.in/current-affairs/monthly-magazine/2025-08-19/environment/convention-on-international-trade-in-endangered-species-of-wild-fauna-and-flora-cites

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