The CITES Convention and trade in animals and plants
Appendix IV of the CITES
The parties to the Convention are obliged to take appropriate enforcement measures. In particular, they must penalise trade in or possession of specimens in violation of the CITES; such specimens must be confiscated or returned to the exporting state (Article VIII).
The Convention leaves open whether the sanctions shall be of criminal or administrative nature. In contrast, the Convention is rather detailed on administrative formalities: any permit that is issued shall contain the title of the Convention, the name and stamp of the authority that granted it, and a control number. A model of such a permit is contained in Appendix IV 
. Copies must clearly be marked as copies.
