With reference to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) and the Convention on 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:

The correct answer is B (2 and 3 only). Statement 1 breaks on its first half: IUCN is not an organ of the United Nations. It is a membership union of sovereign states, government agencies and NGOs, headquartered in Gland, Switzerland. CITES is correctly described as an international agreement between governments, and it was opened for signature in 1973 and came into force in 1975.

Statement 2 is correct. IUCN runs a large number of field projects, and its Red List of Threatened Species is its best-known product. Statement 3 is also correct. CITES binds the parties that have joined it, but it works through national legislation and expressly allows parties to adopt stricter domestic measures.

The core concept is the difference between a UN body, a treaty and a membership organisation. This also links to GS-III biodiversity and wildlife protection, including the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and India's CITES implementation through the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau.

Trap: Many aspirants assume IUCN is a UN agency because it works closely with UN bodies and its data is cited widely. Only the phrasing of statement 1 is the giveaway.