UPSC Prelims 2015 Question:

With reference to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resource (IUCN) and the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which of the following statements is/are correct ?

1. IUCN is an organ of the United Nations and CITES is an international agreement between governments. 
2. IUCN runs thousands of field projects around the world to better manage natural environments. 
3. CITES is legally binding on the States that have joined it, but this Conventional does not take the place of national laws.
   
   

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

Explanation: 

• The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organizations. Its experts are organized into six Commissions dedicated to species survival, environmental law, protected areas, social and economic policy, ecosystem management, and education and communication. Created in 1948, IUCN has evolved into the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network. So, statement 1 is not correct and statement 2 is correct.
  
  
• Through their affiliation with IUCN, Member organizations are part of a democratic process, discussing and approving Resolutions, which lay the foundations for the global conservation agenda. Members meet every four years at the IUCN World Conservation Congress to set priorities and agree on the Union’s work programme. IUCN congresses have produced several key international environmental agreements including the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the World Heritage Convention, and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
  
  
• CITES is an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of the species. Although CITES is legally binding on States it is generally not self-executing. This means that it cannot be fully implemented until specific domestic measures have been adopted for that purpose. The convention does not take the place of national laws. So, statement 3 is correct.
  
  

Therefore, option (2) is the correct answer.

Subject: Environment|Environmental Organisations and Conventions