In 1951, the United Nations became authorized to issue postage stamps, thus becoming that only organization in the world that is neither country nor territory authorized to do so. It is also the only postal authority issuing stamps in three different countries in three different currencies: Geneva (francs), Vienna (now euros), and New York (dollars). The stamps are valid as postage worldwide for mail originating from one of these three postal offices. The UN has used this capability to raise money and awareness for issues with global significance, including the preservation and sustainability of endangered plants and animals.

1993 Endangered Species Stamps: New York series, artist: Norman Adams

The Work of CITES

In 1993, the UN produced its first annual endangered species stamp collection which publicizes CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, a convention that is hosted by the UN. The CITES treaty was established in 1973 as it became apparent that the survival and protection of earth's species needed to be addressed through a global framework. The sharing of knowledge amongst countries could be much more effective than piecemeal efforts by individual countries. Plants and animals cross borders, as do the products derived from them. The goal of CITES is the conservation of species and the regulation of how they and products derived from them are used—ensuring that international trade doesn't threaten the survival of wild animals and plants.

Countries join CITES voluntarily, agreeing when they do so to be bound by the Convention's decisions. There are currently 183 "Parties" to the treaty. It doesn't replace national laws; it provides the framework within which the countries' laws are implemented. In the US, for instance, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is responsible for carrying out CITES provisions, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration providing guidance and expertise regarding marine species.

1999 Endangered Species Stamp. Geneva series: artist Tim Barrall

The Convention’s representatives meet every two to three years, in addition to standing committee work, to discuss the latest scientific information and revise protected species lists. CITIES maintains a report that has three appendixes in which plant and animal species are listed according to their current condition. Appendix I lists the most threatened species, for which trade is either banned or highly restrictive. Appendix II lists species for which rigorous trade permits are in place so that trade is legal and sustainable. Appendix III contains the least threatened species, for which regulation is the least restrictive.

2008 Endangered Species Stamps, Geneva, Vienna, and New York issues. Marine Life, artist Suzanne Duranceau

The Stamp Series

The species included in the UN Endangered Species Stamps are drawn from Appendix I and II, thus highlighting the species that are currently facing the greatest challenges.

Twelve stamps are issued each year, with each of the three UNPA branches issuing a unique set of four stamps. The artists who design the stamps are drawn from around the world, primarily artists who work in the field of wildlife illustration. Often, each of the three locations (Vienna, Geneva, and New York) has a different artist designing their set of stamps; some years, one artist designs all twelve.

2015 Endangered Species series, Vienna and New York issues, artist Richard Bowdler Sharpe

Almost always the artists are contemporary, though in 2015, the work of Richard Bowdler Sharpe, a British ornithologist from the 1900's, was featured in a series highlighting twelve images of distinct types of birds-of-paradise.

2013 Endangered Species Stamps: Nocturnal Species. Vienna: artist Emily S. Damstra

The stamp themes vary by year, frequently highlighting a particular status, habitat, characteristic, or other commonality. Some of the categories of endangered species that have been turned into a year's stamp collection (besides the birds-of paradise) are: insects, primates, newly listed, nocturnal species, endemic species, migratory animals, fish, flowers, species of South and Central America, and many others. Over the 31 years that the series has been going, 372 images of species have been featured, though some of the most beloved or endangered species have had repeat appearances.

The endangered species stamps are by far the most popular stamps that the UN issues and are especially prized by stamp collectors. It is their ability to disseminate awareness as they cross the world, however, that is their central purpose.

As Amy Fraenkel of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals said about the migratory species series, “The stamps, like the endangered species they feature, will travel across the planet and connect people."

It is hard to definitively measure the effectiveness of stamps in helping conservation efforts, but the partial recovery of some species after having been featured in the UN series has been encouraging. The peregrine falcon, the gray wolf, and the American bald eagle are all examples of species that have begun to come back following their inclusion in the series.

Today, over 40,900 species are under some level of protection from CITES. Of these, 6,610 are species of animals and 34,310 are species of plants, of which around 11,000 are included in Appendix I. This means the UN will continue to have species to include in the series for some time to come.

2024 UN Endangered Species Stamp Series, Geneva series, artist Julia Izabela.

The most recent stamps in the series, released in April, 2024 were designed by Julia Izabela of Brazil and are available online at www.unstamps.org and in-person from shops at the UN headquarters in New York, Geneva and Vienna. Older versions can be found through philatelic sites. You can learn more about CITES on their website.

Are there ways in which you have been able to "cross borders" in working on larger issues of creation care? How has your perspective grown and developed in seeing the ecosystem as a whole? Are there areas you would like to work on in this area?

Feel free to leave a comment below (you can sign in through your email) or contact me directly at louise.conner@circlewood.online.

Louise