Wildlife Trade (Illegal)
Wildlife Trade (Illegal)
Monitoring and regulating the international trade in endangered species
Many endangered species, or their body parts, are extremely valuable for one reason or another. In some cases, they are avidly sought by public zoos or botanical gardens, or by private collectors, who may be willing to pay large sums of money for living or dead specimens to add to their collection. In other cases, parts of an animal or plant may be valuable. This can result in species being killed for their precious fur, ivory, horn, or internal organs.
Much of the harvesting and trade in wildlife is legal, and not a threat to species that are widespread and abundant. In many other cases, however, endangered species are being illegally harvested because of the vast sums of money that can be made. The illegal trade in wildlife involves a well-organized chain of commerce, which includes: the hunters (also known as poachers), the buyers of the living animal or plant or its body parts, the traders exporting or importing the goods, the manufacturers of consumer products, and ultimately the consumers. Each of these actors plays a crucial role in the illegal drama of wildlife trade. This trade is greatly increasing the risk of extinction of many endangered species of plants and animals.
The trade in wildlife
The international commerce in wildlife has a value of about $20 billion per year. In recent years, this economic activity has involved about five million wild birds, 32 thousand primates, 12 million orchids, 11 million cacti, and huge numbers of other kinds of organisms. Most of this trade is legal, but a great deal is not, and involves an organized network of poaching, smuggling, and illicit sales.
Much of the wildlife trade involves the sale of living organisms for public zoological or botanical collections, or as private pets. This affects millions of wild-collected animals and plants each year, including endangered species. There is also an enormous trade in the parts of animals and plants. For example, the facial horns of rhinoceroses are extremely valuable in eastern Asia as an ingredient in traditional medicine, and in Yemen for manufacturing into dagger handles. Bile from the gall bladder of bears is also a precious material in traditional Asian medicine, as are the bones of tigers, and the roots of wild ginseng. Another example is elephant ivory, which is valued for use in artisanal crafts in many countries. Other valuable products of endangered species include rare furs, a fact that has threatened large cats such as the tiger, cheetah, leopard, and jaguar. Many species of plants and animals have become endangered because of excessive hunting and trade of their valuable body parts.
Monitoring and regulating the international trade in endangered species
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, often referred to by its acronym CITES, is a treaty that since 1973 has committed 145 signatory nations to preventing or controlling the international trade of endangered species. CITES was established in 1973 under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). The goal of CITES is to monitor and regulate the international trade in endangered species. For these purposes, the conservation status of species (that is, as being endangered, vulnerable, or rare) is designated by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The actual international trade of species-at-risk is monitored by the “Traffic” network of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the IUCN. The headquarters of CITES, IUCN, and WWF are all located in Switzerland. In addition, the World Conservation Monitoring Center (WCMC), located in England, publishes a series of so-called “red books” that summarize the status and commerce of about 60,000 species of plants and 2,000 of animals.
CITES and its partners regulate or monitor the international trade of about 639 species of mammals, 1,557 birds, 464 reptiles, 81 amphibians, 36 fish, 2,070 invertebrates, and 25,660 plants. In most of these cases, the international trade is only monitored. However, in 821 cases involving species threatened with extinction, any international trade is banned. A few examples of species for which trade is not allowed include endangered hyacinth macaws, rhinoceroses, tigers, sea turtles, and certain rare orchids.
The United States is a member of CITES. Some of its responsibilities under the treaty are to monitor and report on its international trade of all species dealt
KEY TERMS
Endangered species —A species that is in great risk of extinction, meaning it would no longer live anywhere on Earth.
Wildlife trade —The commerce in wild-caught animals and plants, occurring globally.
with by WCMC. The United States also has its own legislation governing the domestic trade in endangered species: the Endangered Species Act of 1973. The Fish and Wildlife Service has the responsibility of monitoring and policing any illegal trade in wildlife, both domestic and international.
Resources
BOOKS
Oldfield, Sara. The Trade in Wildlife: Regulation for Conservation. London: Earthscan Publications, 2003.
PERIODICALS
Li, Y.M. “Illegal Wildlife Trade In The Himalayan Region Of China.” Biodiversity and Conservation. 9, no. 7 (2000): 901-918.
Martin, E. “Wildlife for Sale.” Biologist. 47, no. 1 (2001): 27-30. “Profile: Ian Redmond: An 11th-Hour Rescue for Great Apes?” Science. 297 no. 5590 (2002): 2203.
OTHER
United States Fish and Wildlife Service. 1849 C St., NW, Washington, DC 20240. (2003). <http://www.fws.gov> (accessed April 17, 2007).
World Conservation Monitoring Center (WCMC). 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DL, United Kingdom. (2003). <http://www.wcmc.org.uk> (accessed April 17, 2007).
World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Avenue du Mont-Blanc, CH-1196, Gland, Switzerland. (2003). <http://www.panda.org> (accessed April 17, 2007).
Bill Freedman