Periodic review for species included in Appendices I and II

Periodic Review

The CITES Periodic Review of species included in Appendix I and II process is defined in Resolution Conf. 14.8 (Rev. CoP17). Its objective is to ensure that species included in Appendices I and II are appropriately listed, based on current biological and trade information.

A successful periodic review of a species consists of an objective evaluation by the Animals and Plants Committees of a species listed on Appendix I or II and may result in a recommendation to amend the Appendices, or equally may result in advice that the Appendix under which the species is currently listed properly reflects its conservation needs and the species should be retained as listed.

In the event that the Animals or Plants Committee recommend a change in the CITES listing status for the species reviewed, the Secretariat shall invite the range State(s) of the species reviewed to submit a proposal to the next Conference of the Parties; and if no range State expresses a willingness to submit the proposal, the Secretariat may request the Depository Government to submit it.

Provisions of the Convention

Resolutions and Decisions

Process for the periodic review and taxa proposed for revision

At their first meeting after CoP19, and based on an assessment and its outputs prepared by the Secretariat, the Animals and Plants Committees will establish a new list of taxa proposed for review during the next two intersessional periods, until the 21st meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP21). The Committees will request range States to undertake the reviews and if no volunteer offers to undertake the review within the two intersessional periods, those taxa will be deleted from the review.

Overview of species under periodic review

Normally, after every second meeting of the Conference of the Parties, the Animals and Plants Committees establish a schedule for the periodic review of the Appendices and identify  a list a taxa proposed for revision during the next two intersessional periods. 

The most recent schedule for the periodic review of the Appendices was established following the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP17; Johannesburg, 2016) for the next two intersessional periods, until the 19th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP19; Panama City, November 2022).

Resolution Conf. 14.8 (Rev. CoP17) directs the Secretariat to maintain a record of the species selected for periodic review, including species previously and currently reviewed.

The most recent record of species selected for periodic review was  reported by the Secretariat to the joint session of the 31st meeting of the Animals Committee and the 25th meeting of the Plants Committee (AC31/PC25; June 2021, online) in document AC31 Doc. 41.1/PC25 Doc. 39.1. 

At AC31, Mexico and the United States of America presented the periodic reviews for a total of five ongoing cases of fauna. At  PC25, Mexico presented the outcomes of two ongoing cases of flora. The recommendations of the Animals and Plants Committees for these seven cases are respectively incorporated in the tables linked in the following two sections.

Ongoing periodic reviews for animal species

The ongoing periodic reviews for animal species concerns  species selected under the schedules for the review periods CoP15 (2010)-CoP17 (2016), CoP16 (2013)-CoP18 (2019), and CoP17 (2016)-CoP19 (2022). 
The table linked presents an update of these cases as of October 2021. 

Ongoing periodic review cases for plant species

The ongoing periodic reviews for plant species concerns speces selected under the schedules for the review periods CoP15(2010)-CoP17(2016), and CoP17(2016)-CoP19 (2022). 
The table linked presents an update of these cases as of October 2021. 

Supporting information for the interpretation of the periodic review tables