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Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
🦋🌲🐠🌸🦥🌵
Regulating the world’s wildlife trade since 1975

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Announcing free CITES online courses!

Hosted on the @informea_un platform, two new e‑learning opportunities are now available:
✨ The CITES Basic e‑Learning Course
✨ The CITES Course on Amendments to Appendices I & II

Learn more about:
- CITES authorities
- Regulation of trade in specimens of CITES-listed species and the CITES permit system
- Exemptions and other special provisions
- Non-Detriment Findings
- Proposals to Amend the CITES Appendices
- CITES enforcement

Take the courses today and earn your certificate of completion: https://elearning.informea.org/

Special thanks to @zoi.environment.network for making this possible. by @cites

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10 months ago

What does the future of a Himalayan medicinal plant mean for the people who harvest it? 🌱🌸

This CITES short film tells the story of sustainable trade of Jatamansi in Nepal🇳🇵

Valued for its aromatic roots and widely used in traditional medicine, aromatherapy, incense, and more, the film explores the connections between conservation, culture, and community livelihoods.

When trade in CITES-listed species is well managed, it can support local livelihoods while creating incentives to conserve plants and the sensitive habitats they depend on.

Premiering at the CITES Secretariat’s #PC28🌿 side event with @traffic_wltrade, the film is one of three documentaries in the CITES & Livelihoods film series.

🎥 Watch the full film on YouTube (link in bio)
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Copyright: CITES Secretariat
Production: ‪TRAFFIC
Co-funded by the European Union 🇪🇺 and the People’s Republic of China 🇨🇳 taken in Jumla, Nepal by @cites

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3 months ago

Our world heals through plants.

Not only in towering forests – but in the herbs in our tea, the oils on our skin, the spices in our food, and the remedies passed down from our ancestors.

For generations, humans have relied on medicinal and aromatic plants.

Their stories are written in roots and leaves; a ‘natural’ source of wisdom sustaining communities, economies and identities through the ages.

Join us on #WorldWildlifeDay (3 March) – not just to celebrate – but also to learn more about medicinal and aromatic plants, and how we can support their conservation so that they continue to flourish in the wild and nourish our health, heritage and livelihoods.

World-class footage by @openplanetorg and @envato

#WWD2026 #MedicinalAromaticPlants #WorldWildlifeDay2026 #plants by @cites

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9 months ago

To build a future in harmony with nature, we must ensure wildlife is conserved and used responsibly, while supporting the biodiversity and livelihoods that depend on it.

The CITES Secretariat is in Yerevan this week to meet with global partners and discuss the global review of progress in achieving the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (#KMGBF).

Key topics on our agenda:

🌺 sustainable wildlife management
🌿 biodiversity and health
🌊 marine and coastal biodiversity
🌳 review and updates on forest biodiversity
🤝 cooperation with fellow environmental treaties

Stay tuned for updates on CITES at #COP17Armenia 🇦🇲
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📸 Some CITES highlights at #COP16Colombia in 2024 taken in Yerevan, Armenia by @cites

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an hour ago

Women are integrally involved in the conservation and sustainable use of wild species.

On today’s International Day of #RuralWomen, let us remember that the implementation of CITES is better achieved with the engagement of women in rural communities, especially those which are traditionally dependent on CITES-listed species for their livelihoods.

This CITES & Livelihoods film tells the story of sustainable trade of Jatamansi (a CITES Appendix II species), valued for its aromatic roots and widely used in traditional medicine, aromatherapy, incense, and more. Explore the connections conservation, culture, and community livelihoods.

🎥 Link to film in @cites bio taken in Jumla, Nepal by @cites

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4 days ago

🦩🦜 As we commemorate the second peak of migration on #WMBD2026, we celebrate the migratory birds that connect our world through journeys spanning thousands of kilometres, linking ecosystems, cultures, and communities along the way.

Each sighting has value. Every observation helps us better understand how migratory birds are responding to a rapidly changing world.

Whether you’re a scientist, ranger, Indigenous knowledge holder, student, or bird enthusiast, your contribution matters.

Together, we are building the knowledge needed to conserve migratory birds, protect their flyways, and support international efforts to ensure these remarkable species continue to survive and thrive in the wild for countless generations to come.

Every Bird Counts. Your Observations Matter.

Happy #WorldMigratoryBirdDay2026! 🦉🦅 by @cites

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9 days ago

Happy World Migratory Bird Day 2026! 🦅🦆🦜🦩

Across thousands of kilometres, migratory birds connect ecosystems, cultures, and communities. Every observation helps us better understand how migratory birds are responding to a rapidly changing world.

These observations were recorded on @inaturalistorg. Whether you’re a scientist, ranger, Indigenous knowledge holder, student, or bird enthusiast, your observations contribute to a growing body of knowledge that supports the conservation of migratory birds and helps inform policy decisions aimed at ensuring their species survive and thrive in the wild for generations.

#WorldMigratoryBirdDay
#WMBD2026
#EveryBirdCounts
#YourObservationsMatter

Greater Flamingo (CITES Appendix II)

📸 Photo: observed by John Gale in Cape Town, South Africa
🎤 Sound: observed by Sally Anderson in Tavira, Portugal

These observations were recorded on iNaturalist. Whether you’re a scientist, ranger, Indigenous knowledge holder, student, or bird enthusiast, your observations contribute to a growing body of knowledge that supports the conservation of migratory birds and helps inform policy decisions aimed at ensuring their species survive and thrive in the wild.

Peregrine Falcon (CITES Appendix I)

📸 Photo: observed by Beta Wildlife in Buryatia, Russia
🎤 Sound: observed by Luis Ferreira in Balearic Islands, Spain

These observations were recorded on iNaturalist. Whether you’re a scientist, ranger, Indigenous knowledge holder, student, or bird enthusiast, your observations contribute to a growing body of knowledge that supports the conservation of migratory birds and helps inform policy decisions aimed at ensuring their species survive and thrive in the wild.

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck (CITES Appendix III)

📸 Photo: observed by Warren Cronan in Los Chiles, Costa Rica
🎤 Sound: observed by vleid001 in Florida, U.S.A.

These observations were recorded on iNaturalist. Whether you’re a scientist, ranger, Indigenous knowledge holder, student, or bird enthusiast, your observations contribute to a growing body of knowledge that supports the conservation of migratory birds and helps inform policy decisions aimed at ensuring their spe by @cites

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9 days ago

Catch up on the international #wildlife trade, conservation, compliance, and strategic issues on the #SC81 meeting agenda.

📅 8 Oct. 2026 (10:00-11:30 CEST)
🔗 Registration link in bio

From trade in captive-bred specimens to traceability systems for tree species, the CITES Secretariat will highlight what to expect at the upcoming CITES policy meeting in Geneva. 🇨🇭 taken in Geneva, Switzerland by @cites

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13 days ago

🌊 #Fisheries and aquatic resources are fundamental to food security, livelihoods and economies across Africa. With 2,000+ marine species now included in the CITES Appendices, from sharks and rays to eels and sea cucumbers, effective implementation of CITES is increasingly important to ensure that international trade in listed species is legal, sustainable, and traceable.

This week in Addis Ababa 🇪🇹 representatives from coastal African counties, regional fisheries management organizations, and other experts gathered for a regional workshop on implementing CITES through national fisheries legal frameworks.

Organized by @fao and the #CITES Secretariat, participants’ discussions focused on strengthening cooperation, further understanding the challenges and identifying possible solutions related to applying the Convention's provisions on marine species, including those in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction. taken in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia by @cites

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18 days ago

#Rhinos 🦏 are keystone giants of nature, the megaherbivores shaping ecosystems, dispersing seeds, and enriching our soils.

Across rhino range States, these remarkable animals support livelihoods, attract tourism, and contribute to local prosperity. This means that protecting rhinos for the long term requires more than laws and enforcement; it requires the trust, engagement, and support of the communities living alongside them.

Conservation succeeds when local people share in its benefits.

#WorldRhinoDay #RhinoDay by @cites

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a month ago

🦏 Only 5 #rhino species remain, and it's up to us to ensure they survive and thrive in the wild for generations to come.

This #WorldRhinoDay, we celebrate the conservationists and law enforcement officials who are working tirelessly, sometimes risking their lives, to collect data on rhino populations, investigate and prosecute wildlife criminals, reduce the demand for rhino horn that drives poaching and illegal trade, and find sustainable pathways for human-rhino coexistence.

#RhinoDay
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***Clarification: While the White rhino is the largest of all rhino species, the Greater one-horned rhino is the largest rhino species in Asia.*** by @cites

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a month ago

#Madagascar 🇲🇬 has taken a major step towards the digitalization of wildlife trade management!

Home to CITES-listed species such as Parson’s chameleon and Golden mantella frog, Madagascar has launched its #eCITES project (electronic CITES permitting system).

#eCITES is more than just turning paper documents digital. It encapsulates four distinct electronic elements – permit application and issuance, control of trade in CITES-listed species, reporting of CITES-trade statistics and exchange of permit information between Parties.

#eCITES has clear advantages in efficiency, transparency, and accountability when compared to traditional paper permits. Beyond being an environmentally friendly, paper-saving, and efficient solution, it is also a powerful tool for combating illegal trade.
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📸 Photo of Parson’s chameleon by ns777/iNaturalist taken in Antsirabe, Antsiranana, Madagascar by @cites

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a month ago