Endangered Species

CITES in International Trade

Meaning of Cites, according to the Dictionary of International Trade (Global Negotiator): The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, is an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. Because the trade in wild animals and plants crosses borders between countries, the effort to regulate it requires international cooperation to safeguard certain species from over-exploitation. CITES was conceived in the spirit of such cooperation. Today, it accords varying degrees of protection to more than 35.000 species of animals and plants, whether they are traded as live specimens, fur coats or dried herbs. For many years CITES has been among the conservation agreements with the largest membership, with now 180 countries. Website.

Endangered Species

Embracing mainstream international law, this section on endangered species explores the context, history and effect of the area of the law covered here.

Resources

Further Reading

• The entry “endangered species” in the Parry and Grant Encyclopaedic Dictionary of International Law (currently, the Encyclopaedic Dictionary of International Law, 2009), Oxford University Press