The backbone of CITES is the permit system that facilitates international cooperation in conservation and trade monitoring. Permits are issued only if a country’s Management and Scientific Authorities determine that trade is legal and does not threaten the species’ survival in the wild. In the United States, the Service’s Divisions of Management Authority and Scientific Authority work together with the Office of Law Enforcement and also with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to monitor and regulate imports and exports of listed species.

The use of standardized permit forms allows inspection officials at ports of export and import to quickly verify that CITES specimens are properly documented. They also facilitate the collection of species-specific trade data, which are used in the creation of annual reports. These data are used to determine trends in trade and to ensure that significant trade in wildlife is sustainable.

This monitoring of trade has created a substantial body of information on the management and use of CITES species worldwide.