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What is CITES?

CITES stands for Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. It is an international agreement between governments designed to ensure that global trade in wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.

How CITES Regulates Trade

CITES is a global agreement that makes sure international trade in wild animals and plants is legal, sustainable and traceable, so that no species is pushed towards extinction by trade. Countries only allow trade if the animals or plants were obtained in line with national laws (legality), if the trade will not harm wild populations (sustainability), and if every shipment can be followed with official CITES permits and certificates (traceability). To do this, CITES created an international legal framework in 1973 (in force since 1975) that lists species in three Appendices with different levels of trade rules:

Appendix I : species are threatened with extinction, so commercial international trade is banned,

Appendix II: species can still be traded but under strict regulation,

Appendix III: species are protected by at least one country that asks others to help control their trade.

Why a Convention Like CITES Is So Important

This system is important because the global wildlife trade is worth billions of dollars and involves hundreds of millions of specimens of plants and animals every year. Overexploitation through trade, together with habitat loss and other pressures, can drive populations down and even towards extinction.

Currently, all 10 species of manta and devil rays have been uplisted to Appendix I under CITES. This number reflects a recent discovery. In 2025, scientists identified a third manta ray species, expanding what was long thought to be just two. Such reclassifications happen often in science, as animals once grouped together get split based on genetic or morphological traits. Future discoveries could add even more, so science is always evolving, never complete.

Did you know?

Such reclassifications happen often in science, as animals once grouped together get split based on genetic or morphological traits. Future discoveries could add even more, so science is always evolving, never complete.

This figure comes from a CITES CoP20 Proposal (Prop. 30), a formal document submitted to the 20th Conference of the Parties to uplist manta and devil rays to Appendix I. It shows only 9 species because Mobula yarae wasn’t recognised yet as a separate manta ray species when the proposal was submitted.

Die neun Mobilden-Arten. Copyright Marc Dando. (Cites Cop20 – Prop.30)

The Limits of CITES

If someone fishes a manta ray in a country with local protections, it’s illegal there – potentially leading to fines, jail time, or boat seizures.

Countries without full national bans, like India, Sri Lanka, or Pakistan, can still legally fish mantas within their own country, but international export is banned under CITES. This loophole means fishing continues locally, even if trade stops.

Despite its limitations, CITES remains one of the most powerful tools we have for protecting manta and devil rays. By shutting down the international market, the upgrade to Appendix I removes the money that once drove large-scale fishing of manta and devil rays. It makes trafficking riskier, raises penalties, and gives customs officers, NGOs, and enforcement agencies a clear legal basis to seize illegal shipments.

Photo: Elianne Dipp / Canva.com

What Real Protection Requires

But to truly save these species, global trade rules must be matched by strong national action. Countries that still allow domestic fishing need to adopt full legal protection, invest in monitoring and enforcement, and support coastal communities in transitioning away from mobulid fisheries. At the same time, international cooperation is essential: better data sharing, stronger port inspections, and targeted enforcement in known trade hotspots can dramatically reduce illegal supply chains. CITES can close the borders—but only national laws, local enforcement, and community-level change can keep manta and devil rays safe in the waters where they live.

What happens next depends on whether countries follow through. While the agreement itself is a big win, the real test will be what we do to enforce it. Every patrol boat, every inspection, whether against illegal industrial fishing or supporting sustainable coastal communities, contributes to the recovery of these ray populations so they can roam free through the world’s oceans again.

Sources:

Manta Trust. (2025, November 28). Historic global protection for manta and devil rays: CITES nations vote to ban international trade. Retrieved from https://www.mantatrust.org/historic-global-protection-for-manta-and-devil-rays-all-species-uplisted-to-cites-appendix-i

CITES. (2025). Illustrations of the nine valid mobulid species [Figure]. In Consideration of Proposals for Amendment of Appendices I and II (CoP20 Prop. 30). Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. https://cites.org/sites/default/files/documents/E-CoP20-Prop-30.pdf

CITES Secretariat. (2025). CITES Basic e-Learning Course. InforMEA E-Learning Platform. https://elearning.informea.org/course/view.php?id=137

All websites were last accessed on January 2, 2026

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