An annual contribution to the Convention on International Trade in Endagered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to secure UK membership and participation within the organisation.

This annual contribution secures UK membership of, and ability to participate in the decision-making processes of, the Convention on International Trade in Endagered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The Convention is an international agreement to which States and regional economic integration organizations adhere voluntarily. The work of CITES aims to promote global prosperity by facilitating the legal international trade in species and their derivatives while protecting them from over-exploitation. The UK's annual contributions go towards the work of the CITES Secretariat, including its efforts to produce and share information on the status of endangered species, their sustainable use by communities from a range of locations and economic backgrounds, and the most effective means of engaging rural and local communities in the CITES decision-making process. CITES follows a regular cycle of international conferences which allow its rules to be reviewed, including the listing of new species for protection. Parties need to implement the rules of the conventions and provide the protections required to listed species otherwise they will be subject to compliance mechanisms, which in the case of CITES can extend to trade suspensions.