Cracking down on harmful wildlife trade practices [Photos]

Delegates from around the globe are converging on the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in Bangkok, Thailand, this week for the CITES convention, the world’s most influential meeting on international wildlife trade.

Environmentalists' favorite bear will have another ally this year at the CITES convention, as the U.K. announced that it will support a U.S. proposal to list polar bears in CITES Appendix I, which would prohibit international trade for primarily commercial purposes.

At CoP16, the 27 member states of the EU vote as a bloc, which means the U.K. will advocate for the U.S. proposal for polar bears within collective EU negotiations.

Although this year's CITES convention is being held in Bangkok, Thailand, the last meeting took place in 2010 in Doha, Quatar, where the endangered Egyptian vulture calls home.

The walrus, a native species of Canada, is listed under Appendix III, which enables the country to receive international assistance in controlling the trade of this species, as well as ensuring they are protected internationally.

These adorable primates spend most of their lives in the trees foraging at night for fruit, bugs, and small reptiles. As victims to a large illegal pet trade, slow lorises are protected under CITES Appendix I.

Listed under CITES Appendix I due to an unsustainable pet trade, this vibrant ambphibian is found in Madagascar and possesses an amazing defense mechanism. When a predator tries to eat the frog, its skin secretes a thick fluid that sticks to the mouth and eyes of the predator, causing the animal to release the frog.

The U.S. is supporting several shark and ray proposals at the 2013 CITES meeting, and backing from other countries is critical to advance these proposals. Although oceanic whitetip shark populations were considered very abundant back in the 1970s, a 2003 study concluded that these numbers have dropped 70% between 1990 and 2000.

In addition to the multitude of exotic wildlife species that CITES protects, it also conserves many U.S. native species like the brown bear, which is listed under CITES Appendix II. Arguably the largest land-based predator in the world, this incredible animal was once found throughout the world. The bear's range has since decreased, and is now primarily found in Russia, Canada and the U.S.

Listed under Appendix II, the American Paddlefish is a vulnerable freshwater species that is found in the Southeast United States and can grow to be over five feet long. The unusual snout contains electroreceptors that assist in hunting zooplankton, which is filtered through its "gill rakers," similar to basking shark.

The Dabb lizard, a herbivours spiny-tailed reptile listed under Appendix II, is found in Bahrain, which became the 176th Party to the Convention when it joined in 2012.

Among the many proposals submitted to CoP16 is one by Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador to list manta rays in CITES Appendix II. Due to their long lifespans and low rate of reproduction, manta rays are unable to replenish their population fast enough in the face of overfishing.

With over half of the world's freshwater turtle species threatened with extinction, the U.S has proposed three species of North American turtles for inclusion into Appendix II, including the spotted turtle (pictured), the diamondback terrapin and the Blanding's turtle. Although the listing would not ban the international trade or possession of the species, it would regulate international trade to ensure that it is legal and sustainable.