Geneva meeting to shape the future of global wildlife trade

Wildlife experts from around the world will meet in Geneva, Switzerland, from July 13 to 17, for the 34th meeting of the Animals Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

CITES is a global agreement between 185 Parties (184 countries and the European Union) that regulates international trade in wild animals and plants. Its goal is to make sure that buying and selling wildlife across borders does not drive species towards extinction. Today, the convention covers more than 40,000 species of animals and plants.

The Animals Committee is made up of scientists and technical experts. Their job is to examine the latest evidence on wildlife populations and international trade, identify species that may be at risk, and advise countries on how trade can be managed without harming wild populations. They also review whether countries are following CITES rules and whether more scientific information is needed before future decisions are taken.

The recommendations made here will shape the decisions that governments take later at the Conference of the Parties (CoP), the convention’s highest decision-making body.

The meeting is important as wildlife trade is worth billions of dollars every year. While much of it is legal, illegal trade and unsustainable harvesting continue to threaten many species. Climate change, habitat loss and increasing demand for wildlife products are adding to these pressures.

What to look forward to in the meeting?

This year’s meeting will review the conservation and trade of several groups of animals, including sharks and rays, freshwater eels, corals, amphibians, vultures and big cats. Experts will also discuss illegal wildlife trade, methods for identifying species in trade, improving scientific assessments, and helping countries implement CITES more effectively.

Several of the topics on this year’s agenda were also discussed at the previous Animals Committee meeting (AC33) in 2024. At that meeting, experts reviewed trade in sharks and rays, freshwater eels, corals, amphibians, pangolins and other threatened species. They also looked at how countries were implementing CITES rules and whether existing trade controls were enough to protect vulnerable wildlife.

This year’s meeting will assess what progress has been made since then and whether further action is needed.

India is home to hundreds of species protected under CITES and is an important exporter and importer of several wildlife products. Discussions on sharks and rays, corals and other traded species could be relevant for the country’s fisheries, marine conservation efforts and wildlife trade management. Any recommendations made by the committee could influence how these species are monitored and traded in the future.

For India, the meeting is also significant because it highlights the growing need for better scientific data to support wildlife conservation and ensure that international trade remains sustainable.

As countries prepare for the next round of global negotiations, the Geneva meeting will help determine which species need closer attention, where more research is required and whether existing trade controls are doing enough to protect wildlife.