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More Species Protected

SAFER SEAS This bonnethead shark is one of more than 90 shark species that gained added protections from CITES. WRANGEL/GETTY IMAGES

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was held last month in Panama. The international conference set new protections for some 500 species. Many were animals. They have been hunted and sold as food or as pets.

Trade supports “human well-being,” Ivonne Higuero says. She’s the secretary-general of CITES. “But we need to mend our relationship with nature.”

More than 90 shark species are newly protected. World shark populations are in decline. Their fins are used to make soup in parts of Asia.

Some measures were not adopted. CITES did not increase protection for rhinos and elephants. But a number of turtles, frogs, and lizards are now safer.