Threats facing bears are the traditional medicinal demand and the bear bile market, culinary traditions, deforestation leading to habitat loss, the entertainment market and environmental changes specifically affecting polar bears.
CITES: Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna is a United Nations treaty. Its signatories meet biannually to decide which species should be included or indeed excluded on the list. There are three levels of protections.
Appendix I covers species threatened with extinction, banning all trade in specimens of this species, except for non-commercial trade, such as for scientific research.
Appendix II applies to species not yet threatened with extinction, but which may be affected by trade, unless trade is strictly controlled.
Appendix III is a list of species included at the request of a signatory that already regulates trade in the species and that needs the cooperation of other countries to prevent unsustainable or illegal exploitation.
In 2007, the World Conservation Union (IUCN), announced that six out of eight species of bears are now endangered, corresponding to about 75% of the world's total population, with Asia and South America being the areas of most concern.