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

Context: March 3, 2023, World Wildlife Day marks the 50th anniversary of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1973.

World Wildlife Day

• In 2013, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) proclaimed March 3 as the UN World Wildlife Day to celebrate and raise awareness of protecting the world’s wild animals and plants.
• This was as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was signed in 1973 on this day.
• CITES is considered a landmark agreement on conservation that focuses on ensuring the sustainability of endangered species.

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

• It is an international agreement between governments to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
• Establishment: CITES was drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of IUCN (World Conservation Union).
  • Text of Convention was finally agreed in Washington in 1973 and entered into force in 1975.
• Headquarters: The CITES secretariat is administered by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and is located at Geneva, Switzerland.
• Members: There are currently 184 parties (including India) to the Convention.
  • All 184 Parties to CITES have right to attend, to put forward proposals to consider, and to vote on all decisions.
• Nature of the convention: Although CITES is legally binding on the Parties, it does not take the place of national laws. Rather it provides a framework to be respected by each Party, which has to adopt its own domestic legislation to ensure that CITES is implemented at the national level.
• How does CITES work? The species covered by CITES are listed in three Appendices, according to the degree of protection they need (Refer infographic).

India and CITES

• Extensive use of Appendix III: Since its ratification of CITES in 1976, India has listed 39 taxa in Appendix III.
  • Through the listings, important international trade data was gathered that supported decision for application to a different CITES Appendix (with stricter trade controls).
• The Director of Wildlife Preservation, Government of India has been designated responsibility as the Management Authority for CITES (CITES-MA) in India.
• In addition, Government of India has also appointed five Scientific Authorities which assist the CITES MA on scientific aspects of CITES. These are:
  • Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Kolkata.
  • Botanical Survey of India (BSI), Kolkata.
  • Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), Cochin.
  • Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun.
  • Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (IFGTB), Coimbatore.
• International trade in all wildlife species of India, including the species covered under CITES in particular, is regulated collectively through the provisions of the
  • Wild Life (Protection) Act of 1972,
  • Export–Import Policy (EXIM Policy) under the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act of 1992 and
  • Customs Act of 1962.

Limitations of CITES

• Structural gap limiting the effectiveness of CITES: The Convention is a trade agreement and only applies to flora and fauna that is traded internationally.
  • CITES has no application to domestic markets and wildlife trafficking occurring intra-state. This is left to the respective governments.
• Issues with the listing: CITES’ application is restricted by its appendix listing system. Species not listed in an appendix are afforded no protection by the Convention.
  • For example, only about 8 percent of world’s known reptile species are listed. This is despite reported trade in the skins of many non-listed reptiles.
• Political nature of negotiations: CITES is a consensus-orientated body but can take decisions by two-thirds majority when required.
  • During the lifetime of CITES, 84 species were moved from Appendix I to Appendix II. It means that parties could accept a relaxation of the degree of protection.
• Inadequate attention to welfare of animals: CITES system does not devote great consideration to the welfare of animals traded pursuant to its provisions.
  • Welfare of animals relates to his health, comfortable, well-nourished, safe, able to express innate behaviour.
• CITES reservation weakening system: States Parties may enter reservations to certain species being included in an Appendix, where the Party finds the listing of the species unacceptable.
  • This is usually due to reserving party having a legitimate economic or trading interest in the species.
  • Notable examples include reservation of Japan, Norway, and Iceland with regard to certain species of whale.
  • Where a reservation is entered, the party is treated as being a non-party State by other States Parties with regard to trade in the species.

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