CITES, import/export and protected species
The rules governing trade in endangered animals and plants
CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) also called the Washington Convention is an international agreement that regulates trade in endangered wild animal and plant species. The Convention was opened for signature in 1973 and entered into force in 1975 and today the vast majority of the world's countries including Denmark as part of the EU are parties to it.
§The three appendices
CITES divides species into three appendices based on how threatened the trade makes them.
| Appendix | Description |
|---|---|
| Appendix I | Species threatened with extinction — trade is generally prohibited and only permitted under extraordinary circumstances |
| Appendix II | Species that are not currently threatened but could become so without trade control — trade requires export permission |
| Appendix III | Species that a single country has asked other member countries to help control trade in |
§Who administers the rules in Denmark
In Denmark it is the Environmental Protection Agency that functions as the administrative authority for CITES and issues the necessary import and export permits while the customs and food authorities conduct control at the borders. For live animals the Food Agency also plays a role in terms of animal health and infection control in import and export independent of the CITES rules.
§Why it concerns the animal keeper
For the animal keeper CITES in practice means knowing the status of the species you work with — especially when receiving or giving animals when participating in international breeding programmes and when selling in pet shops where certain reptiles birds and fish can be covered by the annexes. Missing papers when trading a CITES-listed species can have serious legal consequences for the company.
§Breeding Programs and Conservation
For many Appendix I species in zoological facilities breeding today occurs through coordinated international breeding programmes which are precisely designed to maintain sustainable genetically healthy populations in human care without further drawing on wild populations — a central part of the modern zoo's role in species conservation.