Biodiversity is protected by laws at state/provincial, national, and international levels.
Biodiversity is protected by laws at state/provincial, national, and international levels. Arguably the most influential law is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) which is an agreement between governments (i.e., countries) that controls international trade in wild animals, plants, and their parts to ensure continued survival. International trade in wildlife is a multi-billion dollar industry that affects millions of plants and animals. As a result, CITES lists species in three Appendices according to the level of protection they require to avoid over-exploitation; species listed in Appendix I require the most protection and, thus, trade limitations (Table 3). Currently, approximately 30,000 species are protected under CITES (Table 4).