Ghada Waly said: “Wildlife crime causes untold damage to nature and it also endangers livelihoods, public health, good governance and the ability to fight climate change of our planet”. UNODC Managing director.
of the agency World wildlife crime report Evaluate anti-poaching efforts worldwide. Although there are positive signs that trade in some iconic species has decreased, including elephants and rhinos – thanks to the dismantling of major trading networks and curbing demand in markets focus – but the overall picture remains grim for thousands of protected plant and animal species.
Scope and harm
UNODC emphasizes that wildlife crime has a profound global impact whose consequences are not always clearly understood.
The latest data on trafficked species seized from 2015 to 2021 across 162 countries and territories shows that illegal trade affects around 4,000 species of flora and fauna with around 3,250 species being listed in the list. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). During the reporting period, law enforcement agencies confiscated 13 million items with a total volume of more than 16,000 tons.
According to United Nations experts on wildlife crime prevention, despite playing an important role in promoting the extinction of many rare species such as orchids, succulents, reptiles, fish, birds and mammals, but the wildlife trade often goes unnoticed by the public.
For example, illegal harvesting for trade is believed to have led to the recent extinction of several succulent plant species in South Africa. It also caused a significant depletion of rare orchid species, with newly discovered species quickly becoming targets of poachers and buyers.
In addition to directly threatening species populations, wildlife trafficking can disrupt fragile ecosystems and their functions, especially weaken their ability to mitigate climate change.
Furthermore, human and animal health experts have consistently raised concerns about disease risks associated with wildlife trade in recent decades. These concerns include direct disease transmission to humans from live animals, plants and wildlife products including bushmeat, as well as broader threats to wildlife populations. , ecosystems and food production systems.
Harm to the environment and climate due to illegal wildlife trade.
A powerful enemy
Analysis of more than 140,000 wildlife trafficking seizures from 2015 to 2021 reveals the complex involvement of powerful organized crime groups in exploiting fragile ecosystems worldwide world, from the Amazon to the Golden Triangle (widely covering northeastern Myanmar, northwestern Thailand and northern Laos). Transnational criminal networks participate in different stages of the trade chain, including export, import, brokerage, storage, breeding and selling to customers.
UNODC said smugglers continually adapt their methods and routes to evade detection and prosecution, exploiting legal loopholes and enforcement weaknesses. Corruption exacerbates the plight of crops and livestock, with officials often turning a blind eye to violations. Despite this, wildlife crime cases are rarely prosecuted for corruption, allowing perpetrators to escape punishment.
“To tackle this crime, we must match the adaptability and flexibility of the illegal wildlife trade. This requires strong, targeted interventions on both the supply and demand sides of the human trafficking chain, efforts to reduce criminal incentives and profits, and greater investment in data, analytics and monitoring capacity,” said UNODC’s Ghada Waly.
A mother rhinoceros and her calf sleep in the shade at the Ziwa Rhine and Wildlife Ranch in Uganda.
Have hope
Recent analyzes of the illegal elephant and rhino trade have demonstrated that a comprehensive strategy that addresses both supply and demand has yielded good results. But this approach must also be combined with a greater policy focus, stricter market regulations and targeted enforcement actions against major traffickers. UNODC notes that poaching, confiscation and the market price of these species have decreased significantly over the past decade.
