The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is a global treaty to ensure international trade in wild plants and animals is legal, traceable, and biologically sustainable. As issues of wildlife use grow ever more complex, CITES provides tools to effectively conserve the world’s diverse natural resources.

The United States is one of 184 Parties, which includes 183 member countries and the European Union, that has agreed to implement the treaty to help control global over-exploitation of wildlife and the conservation of species.

What We Do

Our Laws and Regulations

In the early 1960s, international discussion began focusing on the rate at which the world’s wild animals and plants were being threatened by unregulated international trade. CITES entered into force in 1975, and became a framework for cooperation and collaboration to prevent decline in wild populations of animals and plants. 

Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has been designated to carry out the provisions of CITES through the Division of Management Authority and the Division of Scientific Authority. These are within the Service's International Affairs Program and work with numerous partners including federal and state agencies, industry groups, and conservation organizations.

More about what we do

Latest Stories and Topics