The Animals and Plants Committees of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) met from 28 April to 8 May. Of the 91 recommendations made by UNEP-WCMC for species categorizations for the Review of Significant Trade, 87 were adopted, demonstrating the important contribution we made in assessing the international trade in species.

The Animals and Plants Committees generally meet once a year. This year the meeting was held in Mexico and attended by 300 experts. The Committees provide technical and scientific advice to CITES that helps ensure the global trade in wildlife and wildlife products of some 35,000 species protected by the Convention is sustainable.

A major focus of the meeting was the Review of Significant Trade which identifies species that may be subject to unsustainable levels of international trade, and identifies problems and solutions concerning effective implementation of the Convention.

UNEP-WCMC presented reports for the Review that assisted the Committees in their deliberations. These included recommendations for species categorizations, and a shortlist of species that should be considered for inclusion in the next stage of the Review process. The final selection of species includes the Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus), Giant Pangolin (Manis gigantea) and Red Sandalwood (Pterocarpus santalinus).

UNEP-WCMC also made contributions on nomenclature issues and on the source codes that identify the origin of a traded specimen. The Committees praised the thoroughness and usefulness of the reports as they greatly aided decision-making.

To learn more about how UNEP-WCMC supports the management of protected species, visit the Featured Projects pages of the UNEP-WCMC website.