BharatNotes What is CITES?
CITES — the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora — is a legally binding multilateral treaty that regulates international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants so that such trade does not threaten their survival. Its text was agreed at Washington, D.C. on 2 March 1973 and it entered into force on 1 July 1975 (hence the alternative name "Washington Convention"). The CITES Secretariat is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and is administered by UNEP. As of 2026, CITES has 185 Parties and covers trade in over 40,900 species (cites.org / UN News, 2025-2026). Importantly, CITES sets a binding framework but does not itself replace national law — each Party must enact domestic legislation to implement it.
How CITES works: the three Appendices
CITES protects species at three levels of risk, listed in three Appendices, with the level of trade control varying accordingly.
| Appendix | What it covers | Trade control |
|---|---|---|
| I | Species threatened with extinction, affected by trade | Commercial trade generally prohibited; needs both export and import permits, allowed only in exceptional cases |
| II | Species not yet threatened but may become so without control; also "look-alike" species | Export permit (or re-export certificate) required; no CITES import permit needed |
| III | Species protected within at least one country, which seeks others' cooperation | Listed unilaterally by a Party; export permit / certificate of origin required |
Decisions to add or remove species in Appendices I and II are taken by the Conference of the Parties (CoP), the supreme decision-making body, which meets roughly every two to three years. The most recent meeting, CoP20, was held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan (24 November-5 December 2025).
Significance
CITES is one of the oldest and largest conservation agreements in force and a cornerstone of global efforts against wildlife trafficking — a multi-billion-dollar illegal economy. By tying permits to scientific findings on a species' status, it links trade regulation directly to conservation outcomes. It also works alongside other instruments such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).
India and CITES
India ratified CITES in 1976. Its principal implementing legislation is the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. The Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022 — in force from 1 April 2023 — strengthened CITES implementation by inserting a new Schedule IV that incorporates species listed under all three CITES Appendices, and empowered the Centre to designate a Management Authority and a Scientific Authority. The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) supports enforcement against wildlife crime.
UPSC angle
For Prelims, fix the dates (agreed 1973, in force 1975), the UNEP-Geneva linkage, and the Appendix-wise control logic. A common trap is confusing CITES (a trade treaty) with the IUCN Red List (a risk-assessment list). For Mains GS3, connect CITES to wildlife trafficking, India's WPA framework, and the wider biodiversity-convention ecosystem.
