Johannesburg, South AfricaFor the past two weeks, thousands of diplomats, scientists, and conservationists have been meeting in South Africa for what’s been called “the most important conservation event you’ve never heard of.” CITES (SIGH-teez), or the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, is a 183-government-strong treaty that regulates the wildlife trade and combats wildlife crime. Climate change and habitat loss pose great threats to the world’s wildlife, but the booming commercial trade in wild animals and their parts—illegal and legal—is driving some species to extinction in the wild.

Rhinos are killed for their horns, which some people in Vietnam grind up believing it will cure cancer or make them more virile. People smuggle tortoises, turtles, and lizards