Context

India has submitted proposals regarding changes to the listing of various wildlife species in the CITES secretariat meeting.

About

Animal Species Listed by India	Current IUCN Status
1.       Smooth­Coated Otter	Vulnerable
2.       Small­Clawed Otter	Vulnerable
3.       Indian Star Tortoise	Vulnerable
4.       Tokay Gecko	Least Concern
5.       Wedgefish	Vulnerable

• India has also proposed for the removal of Indian rosewood from CITES Appendix II.

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)

• CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is also known as the Washington Convention) entered into force in 1975
• It is a multilateral treaty drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963.
• The species covered by CITES are listed in three appendices on the degree of protection they require.
  • Appendix I lists species that are the most endangered among CITES-listed animals and plants.
  • Appendix II lists species that are not necessarily now threatened with extinction but that may become so unless trade is closely controlled.
  • Appendix III is a list of species included at the request of a Party that already regulates trade in the species and that needs the cooperation of other countries to prevent unsustainable or illegal exploitation.
• 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, and it accords varying degrees of protection to more than 35,000 species of animals and plants.
• CITES is legally binding on the Parties but it does not take the place of national laws.
• It provides a framework which each party should adopt in its own domestic legislation to ensure that CITES is implemented at the national level.
• It has 181 Parties
• Another Similar treaty is Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants – MIKE

Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network (TRAFFIC)

• It is a non-governmental organization working globally on trade in wild animals and plants in the context of both biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.
• It is a joint programme of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and IUCN.
• It is complimentary to Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
• It was founded in 1976, with headquarters now located in Cambridge, United Kingdom.
• Its mission is to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature.