UPSC Prelims 2015 · Question 12 of 98

UPSC Prelims 2015 question on IUCN and CITES

With reference to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resource (IUCN) and the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. IUCN is an organ of the United Nations and CITES is an international agreement between governments.

2. IUCN runs thousands of field projects around the world to better manage natural environments.

3. CITES is legally binding on the States that have joined it, but this Convention does not take the place of national laws.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 and 3 only
  3. 1 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer

Answer: B. 2 and 3 only

Verdict

The answer is 2 and 3 only. IUCN runs field projects and CITES is legally binding without replacing national law, but IUCN is not an organ of the United Nations.

Analysis

Statement 1 is INCORRECT. Founded in 1948 as the world's first global environmental organisation, IUCN is a membership union of States, government agencies and non governmental bodies, not a United Nations organ. Statement 2 is CORRECT. IUCN supports scientific research, manages field projects worldwide and convenes governments, non governmental organisations, United Nations bodies and companies to develop policy and best practice. Statement 3 is CORRECT. CITES binds the States that join it, but Parties must adopt their own domestic legislation to implement it, so the Convention does not take the place of national law.

Source

IUCN official material.

How to crack it

Rejecting statement 1 removes three of the four options at a stroke, so identify the institutional status claim first and test only that. Beyond this question, keep the categories separate: IUCN is a union with mixed membership, CITES and Ramsar are treaties, UNEP is a United Nations programme. The other durable idea here is that a treaty creates an obligation while national legislation creates the enforcement, which is why implementing law is always required.

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