The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an international agreement. The objective of CITES is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. In other words, the objective of CITES is 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). CITES entered into force on 1 July 1975.
As trade in wild animals and plants involves crossing of borders between countries, the effort to regulate it requires international cooperation to safeguard certain species from over-exploitation. CITES was conceived in the spirit of such cooperation. All import, export, re-export and ‘introduction from the sea’ of species covered by the Convention has to be authorized through a licensing system. Each Party to the Convention shall designate one or more Management Authorities to grant permits or certificates on behalf of that Party, and one or more Scientific Authorities to provide advicethat international trade in any CITES-listed species will not bedetrimental to the survival of the species involved. CITES accords different levels or types of protection to roughly 5,600 species of animals and 30,000 species of plants from over-exploitation through international trade.
To download the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, click here.
As of May 2014, the Convention had 181 parties. Bangladesh ratified the convention in November 1981. The Management Authoritiesin Bangladesh are – (a) Chief Conservator of Forest, Forest Department, Ministry of Environment and Forest, (b) Chief Controller of Import and Export, Ministry of Commerce.
The Scientific Authority in Bangladesh is the Bangladesh Wild Life Advisory Board, Ministry of Environment and Forest.
The Enforcement Authority in Bangladesh is the Chief Conservator of Forest, Forest Department, Ministry of Environment and Forest.
One Bangladeshi farm has been included in the CITES Register of Captive-breeding Operations in August 2007 for the species of Crocodile. Its name is Reptiles Farm Limited.
For more details and updated information on CITES issues, visit https://www.cites.org/