CITES

In a recent article from The Straits Times, I have noticed a section telling us what CITES is and how it works. I found it rather interesting and wanted to share it with you. CITES is an acronym for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered species of wild fauna and flora. It was signed in 1973 by 80 countries. The species of animals under CITES is split into three parts, according to the degree of protection they require.

Appendix 1: This level of protection is the most strict and of highest level. It includes animal species which are threatened with extinction, and thus bans are implemented to prevent them from being killed. Some of the animals under this appendix include tigers, great apes and many different plants.

Appendix 2: This appendix includes creatures that are not faceing with extinction, but rather in which trade must be controlled to prevent further dwindling in their species. Some animals under this category include whales, corcodiles and sharks.

Appendix 3: It contains about 300 different species. It requires" international cooperation" to control the sales and trades.

Along with this small section on CITES, I have noticed a larger section of article on how Japan plans to fight for its intake of blue-fin tuna as its numbers are reducing greatly. CITES are now deciding if they should impose a ban on consumption of blue-fin . However, since the Japanese enjoy eating and are proud of their sashimi, it would not be easy for them to impose the ban.