What is CITES?
CITES (the ‘Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora’) is an international agreement aimed at ensuring that trade in animals does not threaten the survival of their species¹. Most species in the pet trade are
not covered by CITES. Species that are CITES-listed are grouped into one of three categories depending on the level of theoretical protection they are afforded.
Species listed under Appendix I are afforded the highest level of protection, which means that commercial trade in wild caught animals belonging to these species is banned². Many European countries, including the UK, impose some measures that are stricter than CITES under the Wildlife Trade Regulations³.
