Marking 50 Years of CITES: A Conversation with a Lifelong Conservationist

In 2025, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) marks its 50th anniversary. To commemorate the milestone, David Morgan, a lifelong conservationist and veteran of the Convention, has written a book chronicling its history, challenges, and impact. The book, Regulating International Trade in Wildlife: 50 Years of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, reflects on five decades of CITES and its role in global conservation. We spoke to David about his journey, insights on the Convention’s legacy, and on the future of international wildlife conservation.

A Career Rooted in Conservation

“I was born on a small farm in the UK and was fascinated by nature from an early age,” David says. That fascination evolved into a lifelong mission. At a time when ecology was far from mainstream policy, he pursued the subject at university, laying the foundation for a remarkable career in international conservation. His journey with CITES began in 1983 when he joined the UK Government’s statutory nature conservation body, the Nature Conservancy Council. At the time, the Council had just been appointed as the UK’s Scientific Authority for Animals under CITES. In 1996, his work took him to Brussels, where he supported the European Commission in implementing new CITES-related EU legislation. By 2004, he had joined the CITES Secretariat in Geneva as Chief of the Science Team. Over nearly two decades, he not only led the scientific work of the Secretariat but also played a key role in organising CITES meetings and even served as Officer-in-Charge of the Secretariat. In 2023, after 40 years of involvement with the Convention, he stepped away to author a book documenting its first 50 years.

Opening Plenary of CITES CoP15 in Doha. David is on the podium as Chief of Science, joined by outgoing Secretary-General Willem Wijnstekers and others

Back to the Beginning: Why CITES Was Born

To understand the origins of CITES, we return to the early 1960s. Newly independent African nations were among the first to call for a global agreement to regulate the international wildlife trade. Wolfgang and Françoise Burhenne, working through IUCN, prepared early drafts of what would become the Convention. In 1973, the United States convened a Plenipotentiary Conference to finalise the agreement. The result was CITES, a treaty designed to protect certain species of wild fauna and flora from over-exploitation through international trade. It entered into force on July 1, 1975, with the goals of preventing species extinction and illegal international trade in wildlife. 

David Morgan, CITES Secretariat, and Vincent Fleming, UK, Chair of Committee  CITES CoP19

Has CITES Achieved Its Mission?

CITES is often acknowledged as one of the most successful multilateral environmental agreements. But has it truly fulfilled its mission? David offers a measured perspective. “There is little empirical evidence that CITES has achieved its objective overall, partly because the objective is vaguely defined and partly due to a lack of data,” he explains. Since 1975, the global human population has doubled, international trade has expanded 25-fold, and consumer demand, particularly in key wildlife markets, has grown dramatically. These trends have made CITES’ mission increasingly complex.

Yet, as David points out, “it is notable that no species has become globally extinct due to international wildlife trade in the last 50 years.”

“CITES has often been cited as a success for species like Vicuña and Crocodiles,” David argues,  “but its actions have also contributed to stabilizing legal and illegal trade in African elephant specimens (after some ups and downs) and to the fact that the total number of rhinoceroses in the wild has increased by over 28% during the period 2007-2019.”

But, he concedes, there have also been setbacks. “The Convention failed to arrest the ongoing decline of caviar-producing sturgeons in the wild and Spix's macaw became extinct in its native Brazil around 2000, in part due to international trade (although it has recently been reintroduced to the wild there).” Institutionally, CITES has set a global standard for compliance. Its system for monitoring and enforcing commitments, developed internally, is “envied by other conventions”, David says.

David (left), as CITES Chief of Governing Bodies and Meeting Services, with CITES Standing Committee Chair Carolina Cáceres (Middle) and John Scanlon AO (right) as Secretary-General, at a Standing Committee meeting

Elephants and Ivory: A Debate That Persists

Few issues have dominated CITES discussions like the elephant ivory trade. The topic remains emotionally charged and politically divisive, especially among African nations, and at times it feels as if the same old arguments are being played out, again and again. “African elephants have been the dominant species in the history of the Convention – the species is even on the Convention’s official logo!” says David.  The differing views expressed on the issue of trade in African elephant ivory and other specimens reflect those heard in discussions about wildlife trade more broadly. These need debating”, David acknowledges. 

 “It is a pity that (so far), the Convention has been unable to accommodate the wishes of all range States for the species and find a compromise that suits all. Successful stewardship of wildlife often needs to be context-specific, and what works in one State might not work in another. We need to respect different viewpoints and experiences. I hope that in the future new technologies might help make the Convention more flexible in reflecting the wishes of all Parties, whatever their views.”

Looking Ahead

As CITES turns 50, its story is still being written. David’s reflections remind us that conservation is not static; it evolves alongside global trends, political shifts, and scientific progress.  “In its 50 years, CITES has only ever had one external review of its effectiveness and efficiency – in 1996,” says David. “In a rapidly changing world, it may be time for another. As well as reviewing the past, my book looks ahead to the next 50 years and some of the challenges that the Convention will face.”

But does he feel optimistic about the future? After all, it seems that this is an era when multilateral co-operation is fraying in many areas. 

“When I started in 1983”, replies David, "nature conservation was a niche subject for specialists. Now, almost everybody knows about the threats to our natural world and the species with whom we share the planet. Next, we need to turn awareness into action. As a father and grandfather, I have confidence in our youth.”