This week, DEFRA UK CITES policy team visited the Tropical Marine Centre, highlighting the importance of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in the ornamental trade.

CITES is an international agreement that regulates the trade of endangered species and ensures that trade does not threaten their survival. The ornamental trade is a significant contributor to the global trade of wildlife, including fish, corals, and other marine invertebrates.

Tropical Marine Centre is a European leading supplier of ornamental marine species, and as such, their operations are subject to CITES regulations. During the visit, the DEFRA team highlighted the importance of complying with CITES regulations to ensure that trade in marine species is sustainable and does not contribute to the decline of wild populations. It's been a pleasure to collaborate and introduce the DEFRA team to current challenges in the industry and how future policy could be shaped in order to not only support CITES regulations but also adapt to the current reality of the UK trade.

The visit from the DEFRA team highlights the importance of continued cooperation between industry stakeholders and regulators to ensure that the ornamental trade remains sustainable and does not contribute to the decline of wild populations of marine species. It is essential that all businesses involved in the trade comply with CITES regulations and work towards sustainable practices to ensure the long-term viability of the industry.

It is really refreshing to witness the open minded approach to discuss with business various aspects of the legislation in the trade such as impact on local communities, legal trade compliance and monitoring, NDF policies and import process.

Overall, the visit from the DEFRA UK CITES policy team to the Tropical Marine Centre serves was a great milestone on the importance of CITES in regulating the trade of endangered species and the role that the ornamental trade plays in ensuring that trade is sustainable benefiting nature and all its stakeholders and caretakers. It's as always a balance that we are responsible for.

Inspiring synergy between people and nature.