The International wildlife trade, worth billions of dollars annually, has caused massive declines in the numbers of many species of animals and plants. The extent of the decline because of the trade aroused so much concern for the survival of species that an international treaty was drawn up in 1973 to protect wildlife against over-exploitation and also to prevent international trade from threatening species with extinction.

Known as C.I.T.E.S, and sometimes known as the Washington Convention, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, came into force on 1 July 1975 and at present has a membership of signatories of around 150 countries. These countries act by banning commercial international trade in an agreed list of endangered species and by regulating and monitoring trade in others that might become endangered.

There of over 13,000 known species mammals and birds as well as thousands of reptiles, amphibians and fish, millions of invertebrates and some 250,000 flowering plants. It is fair to say that extinction is a natural feature of the evolution of life on Earth. However in recent times humans have, to a

large extent been responsible for the loss of most of the animals and plants that have disappeared.

exploitation. The corporation of other parties, is therefore, needed.

Appendix three: of the convention, all species that any party identifies as being

Another argument for a lifting of the sanctions is that many farmers are finding it hard to coexist with elephants. As the human population ever increases, roaming elephant herds have begun butting up against villages and towns. While Masai herdsmen live with the elephant population by leaving their livestock unfenced and letting the animals walk through their land, farmers who have tried to barricade their crops from migrating wildlife have created trouble for themselves. Many farmers see elephants as a pest -- or even an active danger to their lives. Elephants when hungry can destroy a seasons crop, the culprit (guilty or not) may be hunted down and forced to pay the price of the damage with its life. There are now scientists who are working on a remedy for this problem which will suit both parties. One solution which has been developed is a pepper-spray bomb that wards off elephants by attacking their sensitive eyes with airborne pepper molecules. The elephant recovers soon after, having learned to stay clear of the fields.

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Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)