CITES

2021 FEB 25

Preliminary   > Environment and Ecology   >   Species extinction & protection   >   Int'l organisations & conventions

Why in News?

  • Namibia is likely to violate CITES regulations while implementing a project to export wild elephants to Global Zoos as CITES had ruled that elephants must not be exported beyond their natural and historical range states.

What is CITES?

  • It is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals.
  • It was drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
  • The convention was opened for signature in 1973 and CITES entered into force on 1 July 1975.
  • Secretariat of CITES is administered by UNEP.
  • Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of the species in the wild.

Legal Status of CITES

  • Although CITES is legally binding on the Parties, it does not take the place of national laws.
  • Rather it provides a framework respected by each Party, which must adopt their own domestic legislation to implement CITES at the national level.

Categories of protection under CITES:

  • It has three appendices.
    • Appendix I has species threatened with extinction. Trade in specimens of these species is permitted only in exceptional circumstances.
    • Appendix II has species not necessarily threatened with extinction, but in which trade must be controlled to avoid utilisation incompatible with their survival.
    • Appendix III contains species that are protected in at least one country, which has asked other CITES parties for assistance in controlling trade.

PRELIMS QUESTION

Consider the following statements regarding CITES:

1.Secretariat of CITES is administered by UNEP.
2.CITES is legally binding on state parties to the convention. 
3.Appendix III species of CITES are species that are in danger of extinction.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
(a)1 only
(b)1 and 2 only
(c)2 and 3 only
(d)1, 2 and 3

Answer to Prelims Question