The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP17), will be tackling topics on wildlife challenges and opportunities on the ground in Africa.

Africa is home to a vast array of CITES-listed species and South Africa is globally recognised for ‘the Big Five’. At the conference, parties will evaluate the progress made since 2013, and take decisions on what additional measures are needed to end illicit wildlife trafficking. They will also consider a number of proposals to bring additional species under CITES trade controls, among other things.

Rhino poaching will feature on the agenda of CoP17, tying in with the logo of the conference, an iconic image of the African white rhinoceros. The rhino’s body comprises the outlines of a number of species of endangered plants and animals from the African continent, such as the pangolin, cycad, African aloe and African lion. The rhino was chosen given South Africa’s status as home to the largest rhino populations in the world and to draw attention to the challenges of poaching.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora is an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.

Annually, international wildlife trade is estimated to be worth billions of dollars and to include hundreds of millions of plant and animal specimens. The trade is diverse, ranging from live animals and plants to a vast array of wildlife products derived from them, including food products, exotic leather goods, wooden musical instruments, timber, tourist curios and medicines. Levels of exploitation of some animal and plant species are high and the trade in them, together with other factors, such as habitat loss, is capable of heavily depleting their populations and even bringing some species close to extinction. Many wildlife species in trade are not endangered, but the existence of an agreement to ensure the sustainability of the trade is important in order to safeguard these resources for the future.

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