ABSTRACT
The main goal of CITES is to protect species of wild fauna and flora against over-exploitation through international trade. To achieve this, the convention regulates international trade in the products of those species for which trade poses an extinction risk. Since 1973, thousands of species have been listed on the appendices of the treaty. For most species it is not clear that listing has been beneficial. It is difficult to find examples of endangered species that have recovered to such an extent that they can either be moved to an appendix that allows for more trade, or be removed from the appendices altogether. This has led some to conclude that CITES has not worked.
