Join a Journey
Join the Liljekvist family on a trip to a tropical country and back home. The family consists of mother Clara, father Edin, and the children Amina and Johan. The trip goes smoothly, the hotel is situated in a quiet area, close to the sea, and a lively city is just a short distance away. They shop for souvenirs at markets and stores, but what happens when they reach customs at Arlanda?
Illustration: Magnus Jonason
Test yourself in the exhibition
Test yourself at our customs checkpoint – do you know what you are allowed to buy and bring in?
Trade threatens many species
Many animals and plants worldwide are endangered. Because of trade alone, about 35,000 different species are at risk.
Keeping track of all these species can understandably be difficult for individuals. Often the products are sold openly, alive or dead as souvenirs, perhaps prepared in some way as alternative medicines.
Trading in threatened species is illegal, but in some cases you can purchase and bring items to Sweden if you have applied for and received a permit. Therefore, it is important to know the regulations before buying animal and plant products abroad.
What you can do
The exhibition demonstrates in a simple, fun, and educational way what you can consider to protect threatened species.
How would you have acted at the reptile farm, or at the market? Did you know how big a problem trade in souvenirs alone is? By being aware of the issue, you make a difference.
CITES List
To protect threatened animal and plant species, more than 170 countries have agreed to restrict trade. The agreement is called CITES, which stands for Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
Trade in CITES‑listed species is permitted only when it does not affect the species’ ability to survive. The regulations apply to both living plants and animals and to products made from dead specimens.
Produced in Collaboration
The exhibition is produced by the Swedish Museum of Natural History in collaboration with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the Swedish Customs Agency, the Swedish Board of Agriculture, and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, and will be shown until further notice.