UN wildlife conference ends with protection for 500 species

PANAMA CITY (AP) — An international conference on endangered species has ended in Panama, with protections established for over 500 species. The measures were approved by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, known by its initials as CITES. The meeting wound up Friday after voting to tighten trade regulations on sharks targeted by the fin trade and a tiny frog with translucent skin. Over two weeks, the 184-nation gathering sought to combat trade in species facing extinction. The international wildlife trade treaty, which was adopted 49 years ago in Washington, D.C., has acted before on trade in ivory and rhino horns, whales and sea turtles.