Trade of Three New Endangered Species Prohibited

The Ministry of Climate Change, Environment and Energy has added three new gecko species to the list of species prohibited for trade under the International Trade Controls on Endangered Species Act.

In an announcement today, the ministry stated that three species from the Gekkonidae family have been included in the restricted list. The species are:

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• Ailuronyx seychellensis
• Ailuronyx tachyscopaeus
• Ailuronyx trachygaster

The Act, enacted in 2022, aims to ensure the Maldives’ compliance with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), to which the country is a party.

When the legislation was initially passed, it included a list of species directly replicated from the CITES appendices, with a provision requiring updates to reflect any revisions made under the convention.

The three gecko species were added to CITES in November, following a submission by Seychelles.