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). The core concept is the difference between a knowledge-and-action body and a treaty regime for trade in species.

• Statement 1 is wrong. IUCN is not a UN organ. It is a membership union of states, government agencies and NGOs, founded in 1948 and headquartered in Gland, Switzerland. It holds only observer status in the UN General Assembly. CITES is correctly described as an intergovernmental treaty, signed in Washington in 1973 and in force from 1975, administered through UNEP.
• Statement 2 is correct. IUCN runs a large number of field projects in conservation and sustainable management. Its best-known output is the Red List of threatened species, which is a scientific assessment, not a legal instrument.
• Statement 3 is correct. CITES binds parties, but it works through national legislation and permits. It does not replace domestic law. In India, the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and its Schedules do much of the implementing work.

For Mains, this links to biodiversity governance, the gap between international commitments and domestic enforcement, and wildlife trade.

Trap: Aspirants assume IUCN is a UN agency because of its UN observer status and the authority of the Red List, then eliminate option B and pick D.