CITES

What CITES is

CITES (pronounced "SY-teez") is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. It's an international treaty that makes sure trade across borders in wild animals and plants doesn't threaten their survival in the wild.

The treaty text was agreed by representatives of 80 countries in Washington, D.C., on March 3, 1973, which is why it's sometimes called the Washington Convention. It came into force on July 1, 1975. Today it has 185 Parties: 184 countries plus the European Union.

CITES covers more than 40,000 species, including live animals and plants as well as products made from them, such as ivory, skins, timber and traditional medicines.

How CITES works

CITES works through permits. Moving a listed species across an international border counts as trade, even with no money involved, and needs the right paperwork from the countries involved. Each country appoints a Management Authority to issue permits and a Scientific Authority to advise on whether trade is safe for the species.

The treaty is binding on its Parties, but each country enforces it through its own laws. In the U.S., the Endangered Species Act gives the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service authority to carry it out.

The three CITES Appendices

Every CITES species sits in one of three lists, called Appendices:

• Appendix I: species threatened with extinction. Commercial trade in wild-caught animals or plants is not allowed, and other trade needs both an import and an export permit. Examples include tigers, Asian elephants, chimpanzees and red pandas.
• Appendix II: species not necessarily threatened now, but whose trade must be controlled to keep it sustainable. Most CITES species are here. Trade needs an export permit.
• Appendix III: species protected in at least one country that has asked other Parties to help control the trade.

Some species are split-listed, with different populations in different Appendices. Parties vote on changes to Appendices I and II at a Conference of the Parties, held about every three years.

CITES vs. the IUCN Red List

The IUCN Red List measures how close a species is to extinction. CITES asks a narrower question: is international trade part of the threat? A species can be Critically Endangered on the Red List but not listed by CITES if trade isn't a problem for it, and a species can be on Appendix II while still fairly common.

Why CITES matters for zoos

Zoos often move animals between countries for cooperative breeding programs. When a listed species is involved, each move needs CITES permits. CITES also helps fight illegal wildlife trafficking, one of the threats many zoo conservation programs work against in the wild.