North Korean diplomats accused of smuggling ivory and rhino horn

- A new report identifies at least 18 instances of diplomats being implicated in smuggling, but they've rarely been caught or punished -

... According to historians, political scientists and various governments, North Korean diplomats are notorious for their involvement in illegal trading. Until now the spotlight has focused mainly on their smuggling activities in Europe and Asia, but a new report reveals that Africa and its wildlife also feature prominently in North Korea’s illicit portfolio.

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* The role corruption plays in destroying our natural world - ht.ly/t2Kt30fVGs1
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According to the findings, published by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime—a Geneva-based network composed of law enforcement, government, and development experts—the past 30 years have seen at least 18 instances involving North Korean diplomats caught trafficking rhino horn and ivory. The number of cases that slip by undetected is almost certainly many times more.

Read in full at news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/10/wildlife-watch-north-korea-illegal-wildlife-trade/

#Korea #NorthKorea #elephants #ivory #rhinos #rhinohorn #illegalwidlifetrade #corruption #Africa The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime ... See MoreSee Less

14 hours ago  ·  

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Felling Namibia's ancient forest giants to feed China's demand for rosewood

... For about 12 kilometers west from the Namibian town of Katima Mulilo, along an old smugglers’ track that runs along the Zambian border, hundreds of teak and rosewood trees lie grey and dead. Their felled trunks ooze red resin, much like the blood of the elephants that once inhabited this stretch of state forest - before the poachers came.

And just like with the demand for ivory, it’s a Chinese trend - the current craze for redwood or hongmu furniture as a status symbol - that has ignited a logging rush that’s devastating sub-Saharan Africa’s remaining hardwood forests.

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* FIND out more about China's craze for endangered rosewoods at ht.ly/IdIe30fTXNy
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Here in Caprivi State Forest, the trees are being cut down by crews working for Xuecheng Hou, a controversial Chinese businessman with prior criminal convictions, who, along with his associates, has been involved in the illegal wildlife products trade. He is currently facing several criminal charges in Namibia for alleged dealing in wildlife contraband. When the hardwood teak and rosewood trees are cut down, the local Mafwe tribe and the Namibian government will get a few dollars per tree, and the wood will sell for thousands in China.

Meanwhile, rather than stopping the wholesale deforestation of a national forest, the government has left the land in a vague legal limbo that has made it easier for the plunder to continue ...

Read in full at allafrica.com/stories/201710160196.html

#Namibia #Africa #China #deforestation #illegallogging #rosewood #Hongmu

Image: Rosewood felled in Caprivi State Forest, Namibia (c) John Grobler / OCCRP ... See MoreSee Less

2 days ago  ·  

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China: Beijing philanthropist commits S$2 billion to wildlife conservation

BEIJING (BLOOMBERG) - This Saturday (Oct 14) in Monaco, He Qiaonv will announce the first step in a US$1.5 billion (S$2 billion) plan that may represent the largest-ever personal philanthropic commitment to wildlife conservation.

The number isn't the only thing that's surprising about the announcement. The source might equally raise eyebrows: The donation isn't coming from a known Western conservationist like Paul Allen, but from a landscape planner-turned-environmental steward who's based in Beijing.

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* Where wildlifecrime happens - explore EIA's interactive map of seizures and trade observations of leopards, snow leopards & clouded leopards at eia-international.org/illegal-trade-seizures-tigers-asian-big-cats
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Madame He represents a new wave of self-made Chinese philanthropists unafraid to spend; her seven-year pledge stands at more than a third of her current US$3.6 billion net worth, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

"(China is) pivoting to a new narrative in record speed," said Tom Kaplan, founder and chairman of Panthera, the leading wild cat conservation organization and He's first international partner. "Their (global) reputation has suffered by being viewed as the scourge of the elephant and tiger-and they want to reverse this."

Read in full at www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/beijing-philanthropist-gives-2-billion-for-wildlife-conservat...

#China #Beijing #elephants #tigers #ivory #leopards #illegalwildlifetrade Panthera

Image: Ms He Qiaonv speaking at the 3rd East-west Philanthropists Summit in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Jan 8, 2016 ... See MoreSee Less

3 days ago  ·  

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