> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://tools.osintnewsletter.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://tools.osintnewsletter.com/osint-tools/cites-trade-database.md).
# CITES Trade Database
| **CITES Trade Database** | **Quick Overview** |
| ------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| URL | |
| What it does | Provides access to official records of international trade in CITES-listed animals, plants, and wildlife products reported by participating countries. |
| How to use it | Search by species, country, year, trade term or source to analyse historical and current wildlife trade records. |
| Cost | Free. |
| Account required | No. |
| Cookies | Google Analytics cookies and Hotjar cookies. |
| Ownership | CITES Secretariat (managed by UNEP-WCMC) |
| Use in Reporting | Supports wildlife crime investigations, environmental intelligence, due diligence and trade verification. |
### What does CITES Trade Database do?
The CITES Trade Database contains millions of records submitted annually by CITES Parties documenting the legal import, export, and re-export of protected wildlife and wildlife products.
You can search for trade involving live animals, plants, timber, ivory, skins, trophies, medicinal products and other regulated specimens. Searches can be filtered by species, exporting country, importing country, year, source, purpose and trade term.
**The lowdown:** It’s important to note the database records legal reported trade rather than information on illegal trafficking (unless those activities subsequently become part of official reporting.)
### How to Use:
**1. Search using a species name, exporting or importing country, year, trade term, source code or purpose code.**
**2. Review the reported trade records, analyse trends over time, and corroborate findings with customs data, enforcement reports and other environmental intelligence sources.**
You can also [view this handy guide here. ](https://cites.unia.es/file.php/1/files/CITESTradeDatabaseGuide_v7.pdf)
### Cost
* [x] Free
* [ ] Partially Free
* [ ] Paid
## Data Processing
### Account Required:
* [ ] Yes
* [x] No
### Cookies:
The site uses Google Analytics to monitor website usage and Hotjar to analyse anonymous visitor interactions and improve the user experience.
### Use in Reporting
CITES Trade Database is useful for:
* Verifying legal wildlife trade.
* Investigating environmental and wildlife crime.
* Analysing international trade trends.
* Supporting sanctions and supply chain investigations.
* Corroborating customs and import/export records.
* Identifying unusual trade patterns involving protected species.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime uses CITES Trade Database data throughout its [World Wildlife Crime Report](https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/wildlife.html) to compare legal and illegal trade flows, identify trafficking trends, and provide context for wildlife crime investigations. The report combines seizure data with official CITES trade records to support its analysis.
The database is also one of the most frequently cited datasets in conservation science with researchers using it to analyse ivory trade, reptile and bird trade, timber and rosewood exports, shark and ray trade, orchid and medicinal plant trade, alongside long-term trends in legal wildlife commerce.
| **Capabilities** | **Limitations** |
| -------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Provides official international CITES trade records. | Contains only reported legal trade under CITES. |
| Searches by species, country, year, source, and purpose. | Doesn’t record all instances of illegal wildlife trafficking. |
| Covers decades of reported wildlife trade data. | Reporting quality and completeness vary between countries. |
| Supports trend and comparative analysis. | Data may be published with a reporting delay. |
| Data originates from official government submissions. | Requires familiarity with CITES species and trade codes. |
### Summary
CITES Trade Database is most valuable during the collection, verification, and analysis phase of the OSINT workflow, allowing investigators to validate claims of legal trade, identify anomalies, establish historical trade activity, and corroborate findings with other data.
### Ownership
The CITES Trade Database is maintained by the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) on behalf of the CITES Secretariat, under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
### Ethical Considerations
* Recognise that the database records legal reported trade, not all wildlife trafficking.
* Consider reporting delays when analysing recent trade.
* Avoid drawing conclusions from incomplete national reporting.
* Respect conservation and environmental data governance.
* Clearly distinguish official trade records from analytical assessments.
* Verify findings with additional official and intelligence sources.
### Related Tools:
* UN Comtrade Database
* World Customs Organization (WCO)
* TRAFFIC Wildlife Trade Portal
* Global Forest Watch
* [OpenSanctions](/osint-tools/open-sanctions.md)
#### Sources