The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) is a treaty to protect wild animals and plants against over-exploitation through commercial trade. The signatories of the treaty, which came into force in 1975, are 182 countries and the European Union, with 5,600 animal and 30,000 plant species on their radar. The Johannesburg conference starting Saturday will sift through 62 proposals to tighten or loosen trade restrictions on some 500 species.
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