The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an international agreement between governments to ensure international trade in wildlife specimens does not threaten species survival. CITES accords protection to over 35,000 animal and plant species, whether live, fur, or dried products. Species are listed in three Appendices based on protection needs. Appendix I prohibits commercial trade in endangered species. The Philippines is party to CITES and has national laws supporting its implementation and protecting threatened wildlife.
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Briefing Notes for Environmental Law
USA College of Law
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an international agreement between governments to ensure international trade in wildlife specimens does not threaten species survival. CITES accords protection to over 35,000 animal and plant species, whether live, fur, or dried products. Species are listed in three Appendices based on protection needs. Appendix I prohibits commercial trade in endangered species. The Philippines is party to CITES and has national laws supporting its implementation and protecting threatened wildlife.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an international agreement between governments to ensure international trade in wildlife specimens does not threaten species survival. CITES accords protection to over 35,000 animal and plant species, whether live, fur, or dried products. Species are listed in three Appendices based on protection needs. Appendix I prohibits commercial trade in endangered species. The Philippines is party to CITES and has national laws supporting its implementation and protecting threatened wildlife.
Trade in Endangered Species of Annually, international
Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) wildlife trade is estimated to be by: Camille A. Teruel, LLB 2A worth billions of dollars and to include hundreds of millions of The Convention on plant and animal specimens. The International Trade in Endangered trade is diverse, ranging from live Species of Wild Fauna and Flora animals and plants to a vast array (CITES) is an international of wildlife products derived from agreement between governments. them, including food products, Its aim is to ensure that exotic leather goods, wooden international trade in specimens of musical instruments, timber, tourist wild animals and plants does not curios and medicines. threaten their survival. Many wildlife species in trade are not endangered, but the Important Terminologies: existence of an agreement to ensure the sustainability of the Endangered Species - species trade is important in order to threatened by extinction or a safeguard these resources for the species whose numbers are so few, future. or are declining so quickly, that the Presently, CITES accords animal, plant, or other organism varying degrees of protection to may soon become extinct. more than 35,000 species of animals and plants, whether they Exploitation unfair treatment or are traded as live specimens, fur use; the practice of taking selfish coats or dried herbs. or unfair advantage of something in order to gain a benefit How CITES works? CITES works by subjecting Extinct - the gradual process by international trade in specimens of which a group of related organisms selected species to certain dies out controls. All import, export, re- exports and introduction from the Survival - staying alive; the fact of sea of species covered by the remaining alive or in existence Convention has to be authorized through a licensing system. Trade - the activity of buying and selling, or sometimes bartering or Classification of Species exchanging The species covered by CITES are listed in three Appendices, according to the degree of Republic Act No. 9147: Wildlife protection they need. Resources Conservation and Protection Act Appendix I: Includes species Dedicated to the threatened with extinction. Trade in conservation of the countrys specimens of these species is wildlife resources and their permitted only in exceptional habitat for sustainability. circumstances. Republic Act No. 8550: The Appendix II: Includes species not Philippine Fisheries Code necessarily threatened with SEC. 11. Protection of Rare, extinction, but in which trade must Threatened and Endangered be controlled in order to avoid Species. utilization incompatible with their The Department shall declare survival. closed seasons and take conservation and rehabilitation Appendix III: Contains species that measures for rare, threatened are protected in at least one and endangered species, as it country, which has asked other may determine, and shall ban CITES Parties for assistance in the fishing and/or taking of rare, controlling the trade. threatened and/or endangered species, including their CITES and the Philippines eggs/offspring as identified by The Philippines is one of the existing laws in concurrence 180 countries which is a Party to with concerned government CITES. agencies. CITES is an international agreement to which States adhere SEC. 97. Fishing or Taking of voluntarily. Although it is legally Rare, Threatened or binding on the Parties, it does not Endangered Species. take the place of national laws. Rather it provides a framework to It shall be unlawful to fish or be respected by each Party, which take rare, threatened or has to adopt its own domestic endangered species as listed in legislation to ensure that CITES is the CITES and as determined by implemented at the national level. the Department.
Pertinent National Laws Republic Act No. 8485: Animal
Welfare Act Protects and promotes the Sources welfare of all animals in the http://www.cites.org Philippines by supervising http://checklist.cites.org and regulating the http://www.speciesplus.net establishment and operations bmb.gov.ph of all facilities utilized for http://mwwphilippines.org/2013/ breeding, maintaining, 08/06/philippine-and- keeping, treating or training international-laws-on-marine- of all animals either as wildlife-protection/ objects of trade or as http://www.unep-wcmc- household pets. apps.org/isdb/CITES/Taxonomy http://www.arkive.org