Jeopardy! CITES turns 50

What does it take to save a species when the world seems ranged against it or, conversely, seems not to see it at all? How does one battle a global trade network worth billions, or preserve a specific patch of rainforest to protect an endangered butterfly? Fifty years ago, something of an answer took shape, in the form of an international wildlife agreement called CITES. See how it has helped the world protect and save ever since

- K Narayanan

Let's start with the African elephant, because we almost lost it.

In July 1989, Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi set fire to a giant heap of 2,000 tusks, worth about $2 million then (about $7.5 million today).

It was a powerful gesture: against poaching, the ivory trade, and the slaughter of African elephants. The fire was followed by other measures. Poachers would face the death penalty, he announced, and forest guards has been given orders to shoot on sight.

The poaching of elephants had increased dramatically through the 1970s, partly as a result of the demand for ivory, and more importantly as a result of the proliferation of assault weapons amid the continent's postcolonial Border Wars.

The number of African elephants had plummeted from 5 million in 1950 to fewer than 1 million. The trade had become so lucrative and widespread that entire economies now depended on it, in countries ranging from Singapore and Hong Kong to Dubai, Taiwan and Macau.

As 12 tonnes of ivory caught fire in Kenya, something would finally shift.

Three months later, CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) announced a ban on all trade in ivory; one that has remained in force ever since.

In many ways, the story of the crackdown on ivory reflects both the strengths and weaknesses of CITES, an international convention that is now 50 years old. It is also a good way to explore how CITES works, and how it found ways to be more effective.

Wildlife trafficking remains the fourth-largest criminal enterprise in the world (after narcotics, human trafficking and the trade in counterfeit goods, according to Interpol). CITES was one of the first international agreements that sought to tackle it. But this is a crime with roots that run so deep, and stakes so high, that it took 10 drafts before enough countries would sign on.