Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP20)

CITES is a multilateral treaty established to regulate international trade in certain animal and plant species that are or may be affected by trade and are now, or potentially may become, threatened with extinction, that is, its primary establishment aim is to control international trade of rare and endangered species as well as facilitating sustainable trade of listed species. It is thus both a conservation and trade agreement. The convention functions by listing species in its Appendices with corresponding trade controls based on scientific criteria, that is, Appendix I, Appendix II, and Appendix III. Proposed amendments to the Appendices are considered at CoP meetings and are normally evaluated against biological and trade criteria. CITES comprises 184 countries including most SADC member states.