Environmental Laws — UPSC Mains Model Answer

Appendix I covers species threatened with extinction; commercial trade is effectively prohibited, with permits required from both exporting and importing countries only for exceptional non-commercial purposes. Appendix II covers species not necessarily threatened but requiring controlled trade to prevent overutilisation, making permits mandatory. Appendix III allows any individual Party to list species for which it seeks multilateral cooperation in controlling trade within its own jurisdiction.

India ratified CITES and has aligned domestic law through the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, which has been amended to incorporate CITES obligations. The Act's schedules broadly correspond to CITES appendices, enabling enforcement agencies to regulate both domestic possession and cross-border movement of listed species.

Despite the legal framework, implementation gaps persist — porous borders, inadequate forensic capacity, and inconsistent inter-agency coordination weaken deterrence. Project Tiger, Project Elephant, and TRAFFIC India's monitoring networks partially compensate, but demand-side reduction in consumer countries remains structurally unaddressed.

Proposals to downlist commercially valuable species — such as certain timber and marine species — at Conference of Parties meetings reflect tensions between range-state conservation priorities and trade-dependent economies. Digital wildlife trafficking through online platforms has further outpaced the treaty's original enforcement architecture.