The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has revealed that wildlife trafficking has not been substantially reduced over the last two decades, despite some positive progress.

The third World Wildlife Crime Report report examined trends, harms, impacts, and drivers of the trafficking of protected wildlife species while evaluating the effectiveness of interventions to combat the trade and providing policy recommendations.

Over 2015–21, illegal trade was documented in 162 countries and territories, affecting around 4,000 plant and animal species.

Approximately 3,250 of these species are categorised as threatened or endangered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

“Wildlife crime inflicts untold harm upon nature, and it also jeopardises livelihoods, public health, good governance, and our planet’s ability to fight climate change,” said Ghada Waly, UNODC executive director.

According to UNODC, more consistent enforcement efforts to tackle both supply and demand are needed, including effective implementation of legislation and stronger monitoring and research.

“To address this crime, we must match the adaptability and agility of the illegal wildlife trade. This demands strong, targeted interventions at both the demand and the supply side of the trafficking chain, efforts to reduce criminal incentives and profits, and greater investment in data, analysis, and monitoring capacities,” Waly said.

Wildlife trafficking appears to have played a major role in local or global extinctions of species such as rare orchids, succulents, reptiles, fish, birds, and mammals.

However, the crimes linked to those species have not received much public attention, the report underlined.

The largest number of individual seizures reported during that period involved corals, large reptiles like crocodiles, and elephants.

Source: CITES Illegal Trade Database and World WISE (WWCR3 analytical dataset)

Crimes related to wildlife trafficking are recognised to be responsible not only for the loss of those species, but also for the disruption of delicate ecosystems, including their ability to help stabilise the climate and mitigate climate change.

“Despite gaps in knowledge about the full extent of wildlife trafficking and associated crime, there is sufficient evidence to conclude that this remains a significant global problem far from being resolved,” the report said.

WHERE AND WHY

According to the report, wildlife crime is interconnected with the activities of large organised crime groups operating in some of the most fragile and diverse ecosystems, from the Amazon to the Golden Triangle.

While corruption weakens regulation and enforcement, technology enhances traffickers’ ability to reach global markets.

“Wildlife crime encompasses a multitude of different actors, species, commodities, and driving factors and it has different impact across environmental, social, economic development, and governance aspects,” the report said.

According to the experts, most participants in illegal trade are motivated by financial gain, but the scale and critical drive of their involvement varies depending on their context of involvement.

“No one single perspective, policy, or programme can address this multifaced crime … Addressing wildlife trafficking in these circumstances requires a broader strategy to address organised crime as a whole.”

MORE DATA ARE NEEDED

The UNODC report highlighted that high-profile policy attention, stricter market restrictions, and the targeting of high-level traffickers by law enforcement yielded positive outcomes for two iconic species, elephants and rhinoceros.

In order to maintain and expand the progress, it is necessary to improve the quality and coverage of wildlife seizure data, both geographically and in terms of species involved, the report said.

“Wildlife trafficking persists worldwide despite two decades of concerted action at international and national levels—more rapid and measurable progress could be achieved if interventions were informed by stronger scientific evidence,” the report said.

More and better investment is needed to build data and analytical capacity at the national and international levels, UNODC added in a release.

“Continuous investment in monitoring and analysing emerging trends in illegal wildlife markets and associated criminal activity, meanwhile, is crucial for adapting and improving responses to wildlife trafficking.”

By Giada Ferraglioni – giada@carbon-pulse.com

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