NDF Support Tool

NDF Support Tool is an online tool launched by the United Nations Environment Programme's World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to help countries assess the sustainability of trade in internationally listed wild plants and animals.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is the international agreement that establishes trade protections for nearly 41,000 wild plants and animals, in order to ensure that international trade does not threaten the survival of species in their natural habitat. More than 1.3 billion CITES-listed plants and animals were reported to have been traded internationally between 2011 and 2020, with an estimated export value of more than US$11 billion in 2016-2020. One of the most widely traded wildlife products is reptile skin, which is used in the leather industry for luxury items such as handbags.

In order to trade in CITES-listed plants or animals, countries that are Parties to the Convention must scientifically assess whether international trade will be detrimental to the survival of a species in the wild. Before issuing an export permit, a country's CITES Scientific Authority must demonstrate that a certain level of international trade in a CITES-listed species will not threaten its survival. This decision is called a non-detriment opinion (NDF). As part of a NDF, a country may apply conditions, such as the establishment of an annual export quota, which is normally reassessed each year. NDFs may require a great deal of data and information about the species, including its conservation status, distribution, trade trends, threats posed, and information about the species relevant to the impact of collection and trade, such as its biological characteristics.

NDF Support Tool brings together, for the first time, more than 30 species and trade datasets used by the scientific authorities of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES SV) in decision-making on a single interactive platform. Users can search by CITES-listed species and country/territory combinations to quickly explore and collect the data they need for their assessments. 

This gives scientific authorities a starting point to decide the risk that international trade in a species may pose and whether further research is needed, depending on the level of risk determined. In addition to exporting countries, the Non-Detriment Findings Support Tool can be used by countries that require a non-detriment finding for wildlife imports.