CITES 4+

It can be challenging to navigate the intricacy of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) - a multilateral treaty that regulates international trade in CITES-listed animals and plants to ensure their survival in the wild is not threatened.

CapaCITES is an app that guides national CITES Management and Scientific Authorities, and other relevant agencies, to assess facilities that captive-bred and/or ranch specimens and evaluates their capacity to produce the numbers of specimens being traded each year. CapaCITES also assists to correctly apply source codes to CITES-listed species.

CITES Management and Scientific Authorities and others should conduct regular and effective inspections of facilities and their operations that produce specimens for commercial trade. CapaCITES guides you through the three steps of a facility inspection:
• Before inspection of the facility;
• During inspection of the facility; and
• After inspection of the facility.

The information recorded during these steps should be compared to determine the veracity of a facility’s claims of captive breeding and/or ranching. It is important that detailed and accurate records of inspections are kept, as these are essential for long-term monitoring and assessing annual production levels and overall management performance. CapaCITES provides detailed instructions and data collection forms that can be printed and shared.

CapaCITES also works through a series of questions to arrive at the correct source code for a specimen. Application of the correct source code ensures that accurate analyses of trade data can be undertaken.

Additional information and links are provided throughout the app to assist you.