Species+

Centralized website with vulnerable species information.

URL

https://www.speciesplus.net/species

Description

This website provides information on all species currently listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), and other environmental agreements (MEAs). You can search by species, higher taxon, synonym, common name, or directly search for a document produced by CITES, such as reports, on a specific species. The entire database can be downloaded.

The tool is useful for researchers and individuals who want to know or confirm the current status of a species, i.e., whether it can be traded or not, what type of regulations, quotas, suspensions, or decisions apply in certain regions.

For example, here I searched for “pangolin.” To give some context, all pangolin species are listed in Appendix I of CITES, which means they are completely prohibited from international trade. I got 8 results.

When I clicked on the first result, I obtained information about the species and the CITES list, which confirmed my ideas about the pangolin ban.

In addition, this tool is useful for finding information on geographical distribution and other names for species. It also has a repository of documents for each species, which is very useful for finding out about CITES proposals, reviews, and identification materials.

Also available as an app on Google Play and the App Store.

Cost

• Free

• Partially Free

• Paid

Level of difficulty

Requirements

None.

Limitations

None so far.

Ethical Considerations

None so far.

Guides and articles

The Species+ About page provides information on how to use the site.

Tool provider

UNEP-WCMC, based in Cambridge (United Kingdom), and the CITES Secretariat, based in Geneva (Switzerland).

Similar tools

Within Species+ there is a list of related websites/applications that serve a similar purpose: listing vulnerable species in the CITES and CMS agreements in comprehensive databases, which sometimes contain trade data. The sites are:

• Checklist of CITES Species - This tool focuses on providing information about the level of protection assigned to each CITES-listed species.

• CITES Trade Database - Provides commercial information on species by country.

• EU Captive breeding database - Contains captive bred, ranching and mariculture information of animal species listed in the EU Wildlife Trade Regulations.

• CITES Wildlife TradeView [Find our toolkit entry here] - It focuses on commercial behavior with regard to protected species using visual elements.

• CITES Non-Detriment Findings Support Tool - Specialized in providing information about whether international trade in CITES listed-species is detrimental or not.

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Page maintainer
Lieth Carrillo