Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna & Flora

(CITES) signed at Washington. DC (USA), 1972; entered into force in 1975

CITES was established to protect wild species from the threat of over-exploitation by means of a system of import and export controls. The Convention regulates international trade in animals and plants, whether dead or alive, and any recognizable parts or derivatives thereof. Appendix I lists threatened species (including all marine turtle species), in which international commercial trade is, with few exceptions, prohibited. Appendix II lists species that may become threatened unless trade is controlled. Appendix III lists species that any member State wishes to control in trade and for which that control requires international co-operation. International trade in Appendix I and II species operates by way of permits issued on the basis of a scientific finding that the export (and in the cases of Appendix I species, import) will not be detrimental to the survival of the species. CITES does not regulate or control the exploitation and trade of listed species, including marine turtles, within the borders of individual States; the establishment of such controls are the responsibility of national governments.