The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) aims to ensure that international trade in wildlife does not threaten their survival. It is a legally binding treaty that prohibits or regulates the international trade of species listed in its Appendices. The 20th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP20), held in Uzbekistan in 2025, marked the 50th anniversary of the Convention and was the first CITES CoP hosted in Central Asia. Serving as an introduction to this symposium, this presentation outlines the CITES regulatory mechanism, the process for proposing and deliberating species listings, and the role of ecological information in the process and export permitting, specifically Non-detriment Findings (NDFs). It also explains the relationship between the socio-economic impacts of international trade regulations on range states and conservation outcomes, alongside conflicting perspectives on "sustainable use." Focusing mainly on terrestrial animals, it also introduces conservation successes and the challenges CITES faces based on the latest discussions at CoP20. Regarding terrestrial animals, a notable success story was the resumption of trade for the Kazakhstan population of the saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica), whose horns are in international demand for traditional medicine, following its dramatic population recovery. Conversely, proposals by Namibia to resume trade in rhino horn and ivory derived from its own populations were rejected though its populations are stable or recovering. Even with safeguards limiting trade to government stockpiles, it was argued that legal trade could stimulate demand and facilitate poaching or laundering. These disparate outcomes suggest taxon-specific biases toward legal trade and demand itself, and the multifaceted interpretation of scientific information, shaped by differing values regarding wildlife utilization. Furthermore, regarding cross-cutting issues independent of specific species proposals, concerns were raised about the regulation of "look-alike" species and the treaty's effectiveness in the face of an increasing workload (353 adopted decisions). Moving forward, CITES is required to verify the actual conservation effects of its regulations—whether trade controls have truly contributed to the recovery of species—and to prioritize its efforts within resource constraints. To establish regulations effective for conservation, there is an urgent need to integrate diverse biological and socio-economic information and to develop strategies for applying them within the decision-making arena, while taking scientific uncertainty and conflicting values as given.