Panel 1
Stefania Ercole
The number and outcomes of inspections carried out over the last 14 years (2010-2023) to verify compliance with the Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) are analyzed. The indicator shows a marked increase in the number of detected offences starting from 2018. In the same year, the total amount of imposed fines also rose sharply, averaging approximately €2,091,126 per year between 2018 and 2024, compared with an average of €611,013 during the 2010–2017 period.
In 2024, a total of 6,170 inspections were carried out, identifying 556 offences and resulting in total fines amounting to €1,728,543. Most violations concerned fauna species (258 offences, €1,137,800 in fines) and flora species (279 offences, €550,737).
The indicator displays the number and outcomes of inspections conducted annually by the Operational Units of the CITES Carabinieri Task Force, in terms of sanctions and seizures, to ensure compliance with the Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
To highlight the actions taken to protect biodiversity in the context of international trade in animal and plant species.
The Washington Convention (CITES) is an international agreement signed in 1975 to regulate the trade of wild fauna and flora species threatened with extinction. The primary goal of the Convention is to ensure that the international commercial exploitation of wildlife is sustainable for each species and compatible with their ecological role in their natural habitat.
The CITES Appendices list over 35,000 species of animals and plants with varying levels of protection. The Convention applies to both live and dead specimens, as well as their parts (e.g., ivory, skins) and derivatives (e.g., medicinal products derived from animals or plants).
CITES Member States work together by regulating the trade of listed species through the issuance of licenses and certificates.
CITES has been fully adopted within the European Union through directly applicable regulations. The current EU regulations governing CITES include:
Council Regulation (EC) No. 338/97 of 9 December 1996
Commission Regulation (EC) No. 865/2006 of 4 May 2006 (Implementation Regulation)
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 792/2012 of 23 August 2012
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 1587/2019 of 24 September 2019
Member States may adopt stricter national measures, for example, regarding the possession or trade of certain species.
Italy ratified the Washington Convention with Law No. 874 of 19 December 1975. Under Legislative Decree No. 300 of 30 July 1999, the primary CITES Management Authority in Italy is the Ministry of Environment, responsible for policy direction, administration, and coordination.
The authority responsible for issuing CITES certificates is the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry Policies, which relies on the Carabinieri’s Forestry, Environmental, and Agri-Food Units Command (CUFA). The authority in charge of issuing import and export licenses is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
Enforcement of the Convention, EU regulations, and national laws is carried out by the CITES Carabinieri Task Force across Italy and by the Guardia di Finanza in customs areas.
Italy has legislated criminal offenses related to the enforcement of the Convention and EU regulations through Law No. 150 of 7 February 1992. This law includes stricter measures than those outlined in CITES and EU regulations, such as: a ban on possessing live specimens of mammals and reptiles that could pose a danger to public health and safety;a mandatory register for commercial activities that possess live or dead specimens, parts, or derivatives of species listed in Annexes A and B of Regulation 338/97.
Panel 2
Data on inspections may not be fully comparable over the 2010–2024 period, as the type of data collected has changed over time. Until 2016, separate data were also available for inspections conducted in customs areas (Table 1). Furthermore, data collected during 2017–2018 may have been affected by the transfer of the State Forestry Corps to the Carabinieri on 1 January 2017, which led to partial changes in data organisation and, from 2019 onwards, to the availability of more detailed information on the different categories of offences and seizures (Table 2).
From 2024, data collection methods changed again, with the inclusion of new sectors in addition to the traditional inspections on fauna and flora (Table 3).
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Data quality assessment
CFS-State Forestry Corps (until 2017)
CITES grouping of the CUFA (Forestry, Environmental and Agri-food Unit Command) of the Carabinieri (since 2017)
National
2010-2024
Indicator assessment
Data are sorted into tables and graphically processed using Excel.
In 2024, 6,170 inspections were carried out, detecting 556 total offences, mostly related to fauna species (258 offences and €1,137,800 in fines) and flora species (279 offences and €550,737 in fines) (Table 3).
High levels of fines were also recorded for inspections in the “Landfills and Waste” (€20,350) and “Protected Areas” (€3,000) sectors. Considering all sectors, the total amount of fines imposed reached €1,728,543.
The overall status is assessed as moderate since the number of offences remains high (Figure 1) and the total fines are close to the average for the period (Figure 2).
Over the past seven years (2018–2024), the number of offences averaged 738 per year, a sharp increase compared with the 2010–2017 period, which recorded an average of 334 per year (Figure 1). During the same period, the average annual amount of fines also increased significantly, reaching €2,091,126 (Figure 2).
Data
Table 1: Control activities carried out under CITES (2010–2018)
CFS – State Forestry Corps; CUFA – Carabinieri Command for Forest, Environmental and Agri-food Protection
n.a.: data not available
Data for the 2017–2018 period may have been affected by the transfer of the State Forestry Corps to the Carabinieri, effective from 1 January 2017
Table 2: Control activities carried out under CITES (2019–2023)
CUFA – Carabinieri Command for Forest, Environmental and Agri-food Protection
Table 3. Control activities carried out under CITES (data collection method adopted from 2024 onwards)
CUFA – Carabinieri Command for Forest, Environmental and Agri-food Protection
Figure 1: Number of offences per year
CFS – State Forestry Corps; CUFA – Carabinieri Command for Forest, Environmental and Agri-food Protection
Figure 2: Amount of fines imposed per year (Euro)
CFS – State Forestry Corps; CUFA – Carabinieri Command for Forest, Environmental and Agri-food Protection
The control activities carried out under CITES are of fundamental importance for regulating the international commercial exploitation of wild fauna and flora species and have proven effective in detecting numerous violations.
Until 2016, data were available for customs inspections (Table 1). In 2017, the transfer of the State Forestry Corps to the Carabinieri led to partial changes in data organisation and, from 2019, to the availability of more detailed information on the different categories of offences and seizures (Table 2).
Starting in 2024, data collection was further revised to include new inspection sectors in addition to fauna and flora, such as: Land Protection, Wildfires, Protected Areas, Landfills and Waste, Pollution, and Health and Agri-food Protection (Table 3).
Currently, therefore, CITES inspections—originally focused on monitoring the trade of animals and plants (alive, dead, or parts and derived products) and their commercial exploitation—now also extend to the detection of acts and violations that may lead to the degradation or destruction of the natural habitats where these species live.