Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, March 3-14 2013, Bangkok, Thailand

CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) will celebrate its 40th anniversary on March 3.  CITES currently has 176 parties and regulates international trade in about 30.000 endangered species of wild fauna and flora.  These species are listed in three different Appendices ( Appendix I, II and III ), according to the degree of protection they need.

Every three years, CITES hosts a meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP) to review its implementation and, if necessary, to amend the list of species in Appendices I and II.  The 16th Conference of the Parties will take place from March 3-14, 2013 in Bangkok, Thailand.

There will be great focus on the ocean at CoP16:

• The Maldives will be welcomed as the 177th Party; they are at risk, themselves, due to rising sea levels
  
• Various sharks and rays may be added to Appendix II which lists species that are not necessarily threatened with extinction, but the trade must be controlled in order to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival
  

For more information on CITES, visit www.cites.org