CHIANG MAI, Thailand — Global wildlife trade regulator CITES has lifted trade sanctions against Laos, opening the door for the Southeast Asian nation to resume trade of long-tailed macaques and other species. Some conservationists called the move “premature,” arguing that Laos must do more to curb the illegal wildlife trade, which is estimated to be worth billions of dollars a year globally. Laos was sanctioned in 2023 for its failure to rein in criminal networks trading illegal wildlife products with near-impunity and to regulate bear bile and tiger farms. But the country has made “significant progress” in addressing these issues, CITES’ Standing Committee said in Geneva on Nov. 4. While Laos will now be able to trade in CITES-listed animals without special restriction, it does not end the review process for Laos. Ongoing monitoring of Laos’ adherence to CITES rules will determine its ability to continue exporting species listed under the convention. A mousedeer, most likely Tragulus williamsoni, and silver pheasants for sale in the morning market at Luang Namtha in northern Laos. Image courtesy of William Bleisch. “We recognize that sustained progress requires continued investigations, prosecutions, demand reduction and effective oversight of wildlife facilities,” Somvang Phimmavong, director-general of Laos’ Department of Forestry, wrote in an email to Mongabay. In 2025, a joint Mongabay investigation with NGO GI-TOC identified 35 illegal wildlife shopping sites in Vientiane and Luang Prabang selling ivory, rhino horn, pangolin scales and other illegal wildlife products to Chinese tourists. By July 2026 the number of shops had…This article was originally published on Mongabay
