Wildlife trade

The international trade in wildlife is a serious conservation problem. Globally, wildlife trade is the second largest illegal trade in volume, and comes only next to narcotics and is followed by arms and ammunition. It's the most serious threat to a number of endangered and vulnerable species.

The international illegal wildlife trade is sometimes differentiated from bushmeat trade by virtue of its geographic scale and commercialization. Bushmeat, usually but not always referring to Africa, is the consumption of wildlife locally or nationally for protein. Sometimes bushmeat is internationalized through trade links from Africa to Europe or North America, but most bushmeat is consumed near its place of origin. The international illegal trade of wildlife, conversely, is defined by the trade of high-value wild animals and products derived from wild animals across borders.

The international trade in wildlife is addressed by the United Nation's Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) which currently has 170 member countries or Parties. The XV Conference of the Parties of CITES is scheduled to be held in Doha, Qatar in June 2009.

Illegal wildlife trade

Interpol has estimated the extent of the illegal wildlife trade between $10 billion and $20 billion per year. While the trade is a global one, with routes extending to every continent, conservationists say the problem is most acute in Southeast Asia. There, trade linkages to key markets in China, the United States, and the European Union; lax law enforcement; weak border controls; and the perception of high profit and low risk contribute to large-scale commercial wildlife trafficking.

Notable trade hubs of the wildlife trade include Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, which offers smugglers direct jet service to Europe, the Middle East, North America and Africa. The Chatuchak weekend market in Bangkok is a known center of illicit wildlife trade, and the sale of lizards, primates, and other endangered species has been widely documented. Trade routes connecting in Southeast Asia link Madagascar to the United States (for the sale of turtles, lemurs, and other primates), Cambodia to Japan (for the sale of slow lorises as pets), and the sale of many species to China.

Despite international and local laws designed to crack down on the trade, live animals and animal parts — often those of endangered or threatened species - are sold in open-air markets throughout Asia. The animals involved in the trade end up as trophies, or in specialty restaurants. Some are used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Despite the name, elements of TCM are widely adopted throughout East and Southeast Asia, among both Chinese and non-Chinese communities.

The trade also includes demand for exotic pets, and consumption of wildlife for meat. Large volumes of fresh water tortoises and turtles, snakes, pangolins and monitor lizards are consumed as meat in Asia, including in specialty restaurants that feature wildlife as gourmet dining.

Related organizations

TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, is an international organization dedicated to ensuring that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature.

Wildlife Alliance is an international conservation organization founded to address wildlife trafficking and other crimes against nature. Among its priorities is a regional effort in Southeast Asia to combat transboundary wildlife trafficking, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Wildlife Enforcement Network, or ASEAN-WEN.

The Species Survival Network (SSN) is an international coalition of over 80 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) committed to the promotion, enhancement, and strict enforcement of CITES.

External links

* [http://www.cites.org The official CITES website]
* [http://www.wildlifealliance.org Wildlife Alliance]
* [http://www.ssn.org The Species Survival Network website]
* [http://www.traffic.org TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network]