Geneva meeting to shape the future of global wildlife trade
The 34th meeting of the Animals Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is being held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 13 to 17 July 2026.
The Animals Committee, made up of scientific and technical experts, is reviewing trade regulations and conservation status for several species groups, including sharks and rays, freshwater eels, corals, amphibians, vultures, and big cats.
The agenda also covers illegal wildlife trafficking trends, species identification methods (particularly for products that are hard to trace to species level, such as shark fins), and improvements to scientific assessment procedures used across the Convention.
Recommendations emerging from this Animals Committee meeting will feed into the process ahead of the next Conference of the Parties (CoP), CITES' top decision-making body, which last met as CoP20 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan (November-December 2025).
CITES — Structure, Appendices, and Decision-Making
CITES is a multilateral environmental agreement regulating international trade in wildlife to ensure it does not threaten species survival. It operates through a tiered "Appendix" system reflecting different levels of trade restriction, with technical committees like the Animals Committee feeding scientific recommendations into the political CoP process.
Key Details
- CITES text was finalised in Washington, D.C. on 3 March 1973 (marked annually as World Wildlife Day, 3 March, since 2013); it entered into force in 1975. India ratified/acceded in 1976.
- The Convention currently has 185 Parties (184 states plus the European Union).
- Appendix I: species threatened with extinction — commercial trade generally prohibited. Appendix II: species not currently threatened but requiring trade controls to prevent decline (requires export permits). Appendix III: species protected in at least one country that has asked other Parties for help controlling trade.
- The Animals Committee (for fauna) and Plants Committee (for flora) are permanent scientific subsidiary bodies that review species' biological and trade status between CoPs and recommend listing changes, which are then voted on by Parties at the CoP (a two-thirds majority is required to amend Appendices I and II).
The Geneva meeting is this technical, scientific layer of CITES governance — the Animals Committee's assessments of sharks, corals, vultures, and big cats will shape proposals that Parties vote on at the next CoP.
Sharks and Rays Under CITES — India's Exposure as a Major Fishing Nation
Shark and ray trade regulation has become one of the most consequential areas of CITES activity in the last decade because these species are heavily fished for fins and meat, and India is among the world's leading shark-landing nations.
Key Details
- At CITES CoP19 (Panama City, 2022), the entire requiem shark family (56 species, including blue, bull, and tiger sharks), all six species of hammerhead sharks, and the remainder of the guitarfish family were listed on Appendix II — expanding CITES coverage from roughly 25% to over 90% of the global shark-fin trade by value.
- Mako sharks (Isurus spp.) were already listed on Appendix II prior to CoP19.
- India is a Party to CITES and a significant shark-fishing nation; Appendix II listings require India to issue non-detriment findings and export permits for affected shark and ray products, directly affecting its marine fisheries and export trade.
- The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 separately lists several shark and ray species (e.g., whale shark in Schedule I) for domestic protection, working alongside India's CITES obligations.
The Animals Committee's review of shark and ray trade implementation in Geneva is directly relevant to India's fisheries sector, since India must apply CITES permitting rules to any exports of the newly listed species.
Vultures and Big Cats — India-Specific Conservation Linkages
Two of the species groups on the Geneva agenda — vultures and big cats — connect directly to flagship Indian conservation programmes, making this a high-yield bridge for both Prelims facts and Mains conservation-policy answers.
Key Details
- India's vulture population collapsed by over 95% since the 1990s due to diclofenac (a veterinary painkiller) poisoning; the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change runs the Action Plan for Vulture Conservation (current cycle: 2020-2025), and diclofenac's veterinary use has been banned since 2006.
- Nine vulture species are found in India; several (e.g., White-rumped Vulture, Indian Vulture, Red-headed Vulture) are IUCN "Critically Endangered" and listed under CITES Appendix II.
- The International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) was launched by India in April 2023 (coinciding with 50 years of Project Tiger), headquartered in New Delhi, covering the world's seven principal big cats — tiger, lion, snow leopard, leopard, jaguar, puma, and cheetah — with the Union Cabinet approving Rs 150 crore in one-time budgetary support for 2023-24 to 2027-28.
- All big cat species are listed on CITES Appendix I, prohibiting international commercial trade.
Discussions on vultures and big cats at the Animals Committee intersect with India's own conservation flagships (Vulture Action Plan, Project Tiger, IBCA), making CITES-level scientific assessments directly relevant to India's domestic wildlife policy and its role as an active CITES Party.
- 34th CITES Animals Committee meeting: Geneva, Switzerland, 13-17 July 2026.
- CITES adopted: 3 March 1973 (Washington D.C.); in force 1975; India ratified 1976; 185 Parties currently.
- Three CITES Appendices: I (trade generally prohibited), II (controlled trade via permits), III (country-specific protection requests).
- CoP19 (2022, Panama City): listed 56 requiem shark species, 6 hammerhead species, and remaining guitarfish on Appendix II — covering 90%+ of global shark-fin trade.
- Most recent CoP: CoP20, Samarkand, Uzbekistan, November-December 2025.
- India's vulture population decline: over 95% since the 1990s; diclofenac veterinary ban since 2006; current Vulture Action Plan covers 2020-2025.
- International Big Cat Alliance: launched April 2023, HQ New Delhi, covers 7 big cat species, Rs 150 crore budgetary support (2023-24 to 2027-28).