President Jacob Zuma will on Saturday open the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Johannesburg.

On Friday the Presidency said the conference would afford South Africa an opportunity to showcase its rich biodiversity and successful conservation initiatives based on sustainable use management practices.

The CITES is an international agreement between governments, which regulates international trade in wild fauna and flora. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.

The CITES COP17 conference will be held at the Sandton Convention Centre from 24 September until 5 October 2016.

It is scheduled to be attended by 3,500 delegates including ministers and government representatives from the member countries, representatives from Inter-Governmental and Non-Governmental Organisations, Civil Society and other stakeholders.

South Africa offered to host CITES COP17 at the 16th COP that took place in March 2013 in Bangkok, Thailand. It will be the fourth to be held on the African continent since 1975, and the first on the continent since 2000.

Topical issues such as interventions to address the poaching of elephant; the proposed listing of elephant, lion, rosewood species and sharks; as well as the illegal trade in rhino horn and pangolin, are expected to be on the agenda.

South Africa was one of the first signatories to CITES in 1975 and continues to play an active role in the implementation and enforcement of the Convention.

Today, 183 Parties are signatory to the Treaty, which has as its aim to ensure that international trade in specimens of listed wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival in the wild.