The Species Trade and Use Unit Contributing to CITES

CITES - related reviews and publications

Analyses of the Proposals to amend the CITES appendices

CITES CoP14

The Analyses of Proposals to Amend the CITES Appendices, has been produced for the 14th meeting of the CoP (The Hague, The Netherlands 2007), in collaboration with TRAFFIC and with significant contributions from the IUCN Specialist Groups. It provides an independent assessment of the information provided in the proposals submitted by CITES Parties to amend the Convention’s Appendices where species affected by trade are listed.

CITES Appendix I includes all species threatened with extinction which are or may be affected by trade and for which trade is only authorized in exceptional circumstances. Appendix II mainly includes species that may become threatened with extinction unless trade is subject to strict regulations. Appendix III covers species that are identified by certain Parties as in need for stricter trade regulations, primarily on a national level.

Review of Significant Trade in CITES-listed species

IUCN, in collaboration with TRAFFIC, regularly undertakes a detailed review of selected CITES-listed species in order to determine for each species whether export from any range State poses a problem and to find out what mechanisms, if any, are used in each State to assess the status of the species in the wild and regulate harvest for international trade. Results are presented to the meetings of the CITES Plants Committee and Animals Committee, where, if necessary, the relevant Committee will formulate recommendations for remedial action to be taken by range States. The IUCN Specialist Groups provide invaluable input into this review process.

Guidance for CITES Scientific Authorities on Non-detriment Findings

Use of and trade in wildlife is a fact of life for human society around the globe. Article IV of the CITES Convention requires that exporting countries restrict trade in Appendix II species to levels that are not detrimental either to species' survival, or to their role within the ecosystems in which they occur (known as the "non-detriment finding.") Based on two workshops convened by IUCN to develop some pragmatic assistance for Scientific Authorities, this publication presents the background to the development of the non-detriment finding checklist and explains how the checklist itself is designed to work. Various initiatives are currently underway with SSC Specialist Groups and TRAFFIC to assist CITES Scientific Authorises to develop this approach to making non-detriment findings for specific taxa.
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CITES: A Conservation Tool

The IUCN/SSC Species Trade and Use Unit has written and regularly updated CITES: A Conservation Tool, a guide to amending the Appendices to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. This publication guides the CITES Parties in the process for the submission, presentation, and adoption of proposals to amend the Appendices. It guides readers through the Convention's articles and resolutions. The ninth edition is only available in pdf version, in English. The seventh edition of the guide is still available in Français and Español (pdf). Download the free Acrobat Reader to view these files.