In 2018, EIA launched our Pangolin Project to protect pangolins from illegal trade in their parts and derivatives which has proven detrimental to their survival. We review key legislation to identify loopholes, campaign for the closure of pangolin markets, expose transnational trafficking networks and share our findings with law enforcement agencies, policymakers and civil society partners to enact change.
The problem
Pangolins are the world’s most trafficked mammal. These solitary and gentle creatures’ only defence is curling into a ball when threatened, leaving them particularly vulnerable to illegal poaching.
Of the nine species of pangolins found globally, one is very new and the other eight are either critically endangered, endangered or threatened according to the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species.
Native to Africa and Asia, pangolins have existed for about 60 million years, but over recent decades their wild populations have declined dramatically. We know from our investigative work that pangolins are being smuggled from Africa to Asia, alongside elephant ivory and rhino horn, and within Asia alongside tiger and leopard parts – often through the same channels and by the same organised crime groups.
Demand for pangolin scales and meat drives their illegal poaching and trade. Pangolin scales are used in traditional medicines and jewellery, particularly in east Asia, and the meat is consumed across Africa and Asia as both subsistence and delicacy.
