The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an international treaty or agreement that regulates the global trade of wild animals and plants. It was created to address the problem of international trade driving species toward extinction through unsustainable use for purposes like food, medicine, and fashion. The concept originated from a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The treaty text was signed on March 3, 1973, in Washington, D.C., and entered into force on July 1, 1975.
CITES works by regulating or prohibiting trade in over 40,900 species through a system of permits and certificates. Species are listed in three Appendices based on the level of protection required. Appendix I lists species threatened with extinction, for which commercial international trade is generally prohibited. Appendix II includes species that are not yet threatened but require controlled trade to prevent population decline. Appendix III lists species that a country has unilaterally requested other Parties to help control trade in. To implement the convention, each Party must designate a Management Authority to issue permits and a Scientific Authority to ensure trade is not detrimental to the species' survival.
The convention is connected to the World Trade Organization (WTO), where it gained permanent observership in 1997, demonstrating the link between trade and conservation regimes. The Conference of the Parties (CoP) meets every two to three years to review progress and amend the Appendices. For instance, the 20th meeting of the Parties (CoP20) in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, adopted changes to the Appendices that took effect on March 5, 2026, expanding the scope of regulated species and revising annotations.