By Anjali Sharma
UNITED NATIONS – The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora CITES on Tuesday marked 50 years since it entered into force celebrated 5 decades of protecting endangered wildlife from overexploitation through international trade.
It was originally conceived in 1963 at a meeting of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Convention entered into force in 1975, as the first global agreement of its kind. It continues to serve as a vital tool to help prevent the rapid decline of species.
The urgency of CITES’ mission is clear: international wildlife trade is now worth billions of dollars, and unregulated trade alongside habitat loss and overexploitation continues to drive vulnerable species towards extinction.
CITES said that such trade span borders, international cooperation is critical.
Secretary-General of CITES, Ivonne Higuero, marked the anniversary said that “CITES is not a static agreement or self-sustaining,”.
“It is a living promise to invest in nature a commitment to the future, to each other and to the millions of species with whom we share this planet.”
The agency noted that 185 parties, States or regional economic organizations has entered the convention into force.
CITES regulates trade for over 40,000 plant and animal, covering live animals, timber and herbal products.
CITES is one of the most effective multilateral environmental agreements by developing consensus-based governance and implementation tools such as the CITES Trade Database the world’s most comprehensive source of global wildlife trade data and guidelines for legal acquisition, permitting and enforcement.
Convention, international collaboration has brought critically endangered species from the brink, like African elephants, pangolin and crocodiles.
Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants Programme is a key initiative, operates at over 70 sites across Africa and Asia, covering roughly half of the pachyderm population.
MIKE data has contributed to a downward trend in illegal killings, especially in Africa.
CITES Secretary-General Higuero called on the international community to remain committed to the cause.
“Let the next 50 years be marked by deeper unity, sharper focus and bolder action,” she said.
“We must continue aiming high and build a world where wild animals and plants thrive in their natural habitats, where trade supports – not threatens – biodiversity, and where people and planet prosper in harmony.”
The CITES secretariat is supported by the UN Environment Programme which it with administrative and operational backing.
CITES HAILED the work of other UN entities, such as the FAO to improve fisheries management, capacity building and technical cooperation with the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and initiatives focusing on the youth with the UNDP
