CITES Appendix II
Definition
A listing that allows commercial international trade in a species but requires export permits certifying legal and sustainable acquisition. Non-detriment findings (NDFs) must be produced by the exporting country before permits are issued.
- Trade status
- Commercial trade allowed with export permit
- Required finding
- Non-detriment finding (NDF) by exporting country
- Contrast with Appendix I
- Appendix I bans commercial trade outright
- Common taxa
- Many shark and ray species
Common questions
What stops an Appendix II permit from being issued fraudulently?+
The exporting country's scientific authority must produce a non-detriment finding before any permit is granted, and forensic species identification of shipments is used to verify that declared contents and quantities actually match the permitted species and volume.
Why are shark and ray products a common Appendix II enforcement target?+
Fins and gill plates from different species look alike once processed, so shipments are easily mislabelled as a permitted species to move restricted or Appendix I look-alike species through the same trade channel undetected without genetic or morphological testing.
Does an Appendix II listing mean a species is not endangered?+
No, it means trade can be sustainable if properly regulated and monitored; a species can still be at real conservation risk, and an Appendix II listing can later be tightened to Appendix I if regulated trade fails to prevent population decline.
Related terms
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