How the world's wildlife treaty works — and where it falls short
Hundreds of delegates will meet at the CITES CoP this winter. And the decisions they make could shape the future of thousands of species.
This November, delegates from 185 countries will meet in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The decisions they make could shape the future of thousands of species across the world.
The meeting is to decide on potential changes to how much protection is offered to certain species.
CITES – or to give it its full name: the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora – came into effect in 1975. Nearly every country in the world is a signatory. The treaty regulates the international trade in wild animals and plants to ensure it does not threaten their survival.
You may have seen Wild Crime describe certain species as “CITES-listed”. But what does that actually mean? Here’s a quick explainer.
How does CITES work?
CITES maintains a list of species across three appendices, which determine how international trade in them is regulated.
Those listed on Appendix II can be traded internationally, but only with permits. These permits help monitor the trade and ensure it doesn't threaten wild populations. They also generate valuable data on the volume and nature of the trade.
Animals listed on Appendix I cannot be traded commercially. This category is reserved for animals facing a high risk of extinction. Limited exceptions apply for scientific or conservation purposes.
Matt Collis, a policy director at the International Fund for Animal Welfare, told Wild Crime: “For Appendix I, you can argue that something's so endangered that any trade in it could be considered high risk. For Appendix II you need to be able to show that it's affected by trade in some way.
“So you'll probably see people arguing that ‘we don't really know how much is in trade, so we shouldn't list it’. Of course that’s entirely counterproductive, because the only way you're going to get information about it being in trade is by listing it.”
The third appendix relates to animals which are protected at a national level.
What happens at the CITES CoP?
Every three years, delegates from member countries meet at the Conference of the Parties (CoP) to debate and vote on proposed changes to the listings.
In the months leading up to the meeting, countries submit proposals to move species between the appendices. These can either increase or decrease protections.
This year, for example, the UK and some other countries are proposing that several species of deep sea shark that are fished for their liver oil are added to Appendix I.
Proposals can also seek to downgrade protection. Sometimes this is economically motivated. But not always. Kazakhstan, for instance, is proposing to delist its population of saiga antelope, citing a strong recovery in numbers after years of regulation.
The delegates present then vote on each proposal. But not after a good amount of behind-the-scenes lobbying. “There are lots of meetings trying to pull in countries from different sides,” Collis said. “Lots of horse trading. You support my proposal, I’ll support yours. That kind of thing.”
Does it work?
Sometimes. The saiga case suggests CITES can help species rebound.
But enforcement is inconsistent. There are many reports of animals being traded without proper permits, or legal loopholes being exploited.
It is often easier to obtain permits for captive-bred animals, for example. But it can be all-too-easy to “launder” wild caught specimens using captive-bred permits. But some traffickers exploit this by falsely labelling wild-caught specimens as captive-bred. There have also been cases where transfers listed as destined for zoos raise suspicions – either because the zoo doesn't exist or is not a recognised conservation body.
Are there critics?
Yes. I recently spoke to a legal animal breeder who sells amphibians commercially overseas. He was supportive of the aims of CITES and is passionate about protecting animals. But he worries that the CITES system targets the wrong people.
Illegal wildlife traffickers don’t care about trivial things like permits and will continue to smuggle animals regardless. While legitimate breeders will find it much harder to sell their wares.
Some have also described it as “toothless”, with few levers available to actually punish those who breach CITES rules.
Whatever your view, CITES remains one of the most important tools for protecting wildlife through international cooperation. I’ll be following the developments in Samarkand closely this winter.