Over-exploitation of species remains a major threat to biodiversity.International demand for wildlife and wildlife products can fuel overexploitation if not managed sustainably.The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was designed to provide a framework to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival in the wild.Forty years on, CITES now regulates international trade in close to 35,000 species of plants and animals, including flagship species such as tigers, elephants, gorillas, whales, the great white shark, rhinos and several high value timber species.With reports of elephant and rhino poaching on the rise and calls for renewed, coordinated efforts to combat illegal wildlife trade, CITES continues to be relevant and its importance to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity was recently recognized by world leaders at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20).