Colombo, Jan 11 (newsin.asia) – Sri Lanka will host the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES) in May this year to highlight the threat of an international trade of wild animals and plants, the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife said in a statement here Friday.
Nearly 4000 representatives from 183 countries will participate in the convention, which will be held from May 23 to June 3 in capital Colombo.
The CITES aims to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of species in the wild.
It accords varying degrees of protection to more than 35,000 species of animals and plants.
Sri Lanka, in 2016, gained international recognition by becoming the first South Asian country to destroy over 359 African Elephant tusks worth of Rs. 400 million, an estimated 2.2 million US dollars, under the CITES Convention to show its commitment against illegal trading of animals.
The ivory was seized in 2012 by the Sri Lanka Customs while it was en route to Dubai from Kenya. The total weight of the ivory was around 1,500 kg.
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