Part IV examines four treaties which form the centrepiece of international wildlife law and are the most important agreements considered in this book. They were all concluded in the 1970s and, in contrast to the treaties discussed in earlier chapters, they are neither restricted to a few individual species nor to certain geographical regions. They are the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat (generally known as “Ramsar”, the name of the Iranian town where it was signed), the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (the “World Heritage Convention”), the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (“CITES”), and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (generally known as the “Bonn Convention” because it was signed in the West German capital city).

Each of the four has its limitations as a legal conservation instrument. Ramsar is limited to wetlands, the World Heritage Convention is concerned with a few select areas of “outstanding universal value”, CITES is restricted to the regulation of international trade, and the Bonn Convention covers only migratory species. Together, however, the four treaties comprise a powerful body of international law affecting the conservation of an immense number and variety of wild animals and plants. Ramsar's broad definition of wetlands includes a wide diversity of important wildlife habitats. CITES is vitally important for parrots, crocodiles, cacti, sea turtles, cats, rhinos and dozens of other groups of species whose survival is threatened, or potentially threatened, by international trade.