CITES
Also known as: Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
The international treaty governing cross-border trade in protected wildlife.
CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is a 184-party international treaty in force since 1975. It regulates cross-border movement of approximately 38,700 species and derived products across three appendices: I (commercial trade essentially prohibited), II (export permit required), III (cooperative listing by single party). Common consumer products requiring CITES paperwork: rosewood and ebony furniture and instruments, python and crocodile leather, sturgeon caviar, reef coral, orchids, agarwood (oud), some traditional medicines.