Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) For UPSC

CITES is international agreement to regulate worldwide commercial trade in wild animal and plant species. 

Its aim is to ensure that international trade does not threaten the survival of the species in the wild. 

• It was drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It entered into force in July 1975. 

CITES is legally binding on state parties to the convention, which are obliged to adopt their own domestic legislation to implement its goals. 

It classifies plants and animals according to three categories, or appendices, based on how threatened. 

They are. 

(i) Appendix I: It lists species that are in danger of extinction. It prohibits commercial trade of these plants and animals except in extraordinary situations for scientific or educational reasons. 

Appendix II species: They are those that are not threatened with extinction but that might suffer a serious decline in number if trade is not restricted. Their trade is regulated by permit. 

Appendix III species: They are protected in at least one country that is a CITES member states and that has petitioned others for help in controlling international trade in that species. 

In addition CITES also restricts trade in items made from such plants and animals, such as food, clothing, medicine, and souvenirs.