ABSTRACT
The debate about the regulation of the international trade in wildlife has been characterized by differences over the goal of trade regulation and disputes about whether regulation is a good way to achieve the goal. By way of an introduction to the more detailed discussions that appear later in the book, this chapter offers a brief but critical examination of these two issues. It is argued that there is a case for the differences over goals to be made more explicit and, more particularly, for the conservation goals of regulation to be integrated more closely with sustainable development goals. It is also contended that the common assumption that trade measures are a universally appropriate tool for conserving species threatened by trade, is mistaken. The primary reference point for the discussion is CITES, the most important instrument for regulating the wildlife trade.
