Iraq becomes the 180th Party to CITES

iraq flag

The CITES Secretariat just announced that the Republic of Iraq has become the 180th Party to CITES. The decisions of CITES will enter into force for Iraq on May 6, 2014. Iraq, which borders the Persian Gulf in the south east, is home to a variety of fauna and flora, of which over 100 are already listed on the CITES Appendices, including the knifetooth sawfish and the whale shark.

A number of other sharks that are not on the CITES Appendices also inhabit Iraq’s waters and rivers, including bull sharks.