WHAT IS “CITES”, WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
CITES was prepared as a result of a decision adopted at a meeting of the members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) in 1963. The text of the convention was accepted at a meeting attended by representatives of 80 countries in Washington DC, United States, on March 3, 1973, and entered into force on July 1, 1975. The original text has been deposited with the Depository government in English, French and Spanish. Also available in Chinese and Russian.
The fundamental need for CITES is highlighted by the availability of widespread information regarding the critically endangered status of tigers and elephants. CITES was created in the 1960s, when the international debate on the regulation of wildlife trade began to come to the fore. Each year, international wildlife trade is estimated to be worth billions of dollars and involve hundreds of millions of plant and animal specimens. This trade covers a wide range of products, from live animals to food products, from exotic leather products to timber. Some species are highly exploited, which may lead to population decline or even extinction.
Because trade in wild animals and plants is international, CITES requires international cooperation to prevent over-exploitation of certain species. Today, it protects more than 40,000 traded animal and plant species. CITES is an international agreement to which the parties, states and regional economic integration organizations, voluntarily adhere. States that adhere to CITES are known as “associated” CITES parties. In order for CITES to be implemented at the national level, each party must adopt its own domestic legislation.
CITES is one of the conservation agreements with the largest membership, with 184 party countries for many years. This agreement is an important tool to ensure the survival of species by regulating international trade in wild animal and plant species.
The document used in the export of animal leathers within the framework of CITES provisions is a document containing information on the types, quantities and sources of animals extracted and traded in countries that are parties to CITES. This document determines the conservation status of the animal and whether the trade is sustainable.
CITES certificate for export of animal leathers is issued as follows:
Before exporting the animal leathers in question, the exporter applies to the CITES management authority of the relevant country to request the documents.
The exporter must prove that the animal leathers he plans to trade are subject to CITES and that the trade is legal and sustainable.
The CITES managing authority reviews the application and decides whether the documents can be issued. If the application is found suitable, a CITES certificate is issued.
The CITES document contains the types, quantities and other important information of the animal leathers that the exporter will trade.
Upon issuance of the document, the exporter agrees to comply with the conditions specified in the document and the provisions of CITES.
The exporter sends the animal leathers, along with the document, to the country to which they will export.
This process provides for the control of trade in animal leathers under the provisions of CITES and aims to promote sustainable trade.
As Kares, we embrace sustainable, lawful trade and import with CITES certification.
This article is an excerpt from the original CITES website below.
https://cites.org/eng/disc/what.php
