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Official name: Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
Citation: Signed 3 March 1973, Washington, D.C.; entered into force 1 July 1975
Year / status: In force since 1 July 1975. Appendices are amended at Conferences of the Parties.
What it does
CITES controls international commercial trade in listed animals and plants through permits. Appendix I is the strictest (commercial trade in wild specimens generally prohibited); Appendix II allows regulated trade; Appendix III is a Party’s unilateral listing. Each Party must enact domestic implementing law.
Where it applies / status
Between Parties, at the border and in the permit system. Domestic poaching without a trade nexus is mostly other law (for example a national wildlife act or the U.S. ESA).
Documented benefits or intended effects
Intended effect: keep international trade from driving listed species to extinction. Some populations have recovered while listed; others have not. This page does not invent a single global success rate.
Caveats
Listings are political. Illegal trade continues. CITES does not designate national parks and does not, by itself, restore habitat. Implementation quality varies widely.
Sources
CITES official text and “what is CITES” page; UN Treaty Collection.