CITES CoP17 – A CoP of “Firsts” and a Turning Point for the World’s Wildlife - External link to CITES Secretary-General's Op Ed

Updated on 22 August 2017

In every corner of our planet, a variety of threats such as habitat loss, climate change, over-exploitation and illegal trade put intense pressure on wild populations of animals and plants.

Illicit trafficking in wildlife now takes place at an industrial scale driven by transnational organized criminal groups. The phenomena poses a real and immediate danger to some of our most precious species.