In the early 1960s, international discussion began focusing on the rate at which the world’s wild animals and plants were being threatened by unregulated international trade.

CITES entered into force in 1975, and became the only global treaty that ensures that international wildlife trade is based on sustainable use and management of wild and captive populations. It provides a framework for cooperation and collaboration among nations to prevent further decline in wild populations of animals and plants.

There are currently 175 member countries (also referred to as “Parties”) to CITES, including the United States. New Parties may officially accede to the treaty during the Conference of the Parties (see How CITES Works).
The United States became a Party to CITES in 1975 and is part of the North American Region, which also includes Canada and Mexico. In the United States, CITES is implemented through the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). Passed in 1973, this law was set forth to prevent the extinction of native and foreign animals and plants by providing measures to help alleviate the loss of species and their habitats. Under this law, the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce were given the joint responsibility for determining whether to place animals and plants on the Federal list of endangered and threatened species and for taking measures to protect and conserve the listed species. Section 8 of the ESA allows foreign species to be listed under the ESA. The Secretary of the Interior has delegated the Department’s responsibility to the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). In accordance with the Convention, FWS established a Scientific Authority and Management Authority to implement the treaty.