For use of the media not an official document. Wildlife trade
regulation needed more than ever CITES celebrates its 35th
anniversary of coming into force Geneva, 30 June 2010 – From
medicine to musical instruments and from fashion and beauty
products to delicacies, wildlife items in trade must be properly
regulated to ensure the continued survival of animals and plants
in the wild. This is the main message coming from the Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and
Flora (CITES), which celebrates its 35th anniversary on 1 July
2010. “While not a single one of some 34,000 CITES-listed
species has become extinct as a result of international trade
until now, growing pressures on biological resources make
regulating global wildlife trade even more relevant today than
it was in 1975 when countries brought this unprecedented global
treaty into force”, said CITES Secretary-General John Scanlon.
Global wildlife trade has increased significantly since 1975.
CITES Trade Database, which reg