Governance & Policy
Protected Species
A species given legal protection against killing, capture, trade or habitat destruction under national law or international agreement.
Definition
A protected species is a species whose taking, killing, disturbance, possession, trade or habitat destruction is prohibited or regulated by law. Protection arises from national legislation (such as the US Endangered Species Act or EU Habitats Directive annexes) and international instruments (CITES appendices controlling trade, CMS listings for migratory species), commonly triggered by conservation-status assessment such as the IUCN Red List.
Overview
The overview for this term is being prepared.
Review
Help keep this definition useful and accurate.
Submitted reviews stay private until an editor decides whether to accept and attribute them.
Contribute to this entry
How would you like to contribute?
Every endorsement and suggested edit is checked by an editor before anything changes publicly.