Plastic waste is killing seabirds, mammals and countless fish every year - let’s stop this madness!

EIA, as part of the Rethink Plastic Alliance, is calling on the European Commission to produce an ambitious Plastic Strategy that would significantly reduce the plastic pollution entering European Seas.

They could set goals to reduce the production of plastics or they'll listen to the plastic industry lobbyists ...

You can ask them to do the right thing and save our oceans from plastic.

Please sign and share today at act.wemove.eu/campaigns/dam-the-plastic-flood-clone

#RethinkPlastic ... See MoreSee Less

5 hours ago  ·  

Photo

Africa: The shifting dynamics of rhino horn trafficking

Recent raids in South Africa have uncovered disturbing evidence of the changing dynamics of rhino horn trafficking from Africa to Asia.

On 12 June 2017, police raided a house in the Johannesburg suburb of Cyrildene and discovered a home workshop where rhino horn was being processed into beads, bracelets, bangles and other commodities. A quantity of drugs, ammunition and bones – believe to be lion bones – were also found. Two Chinese citizens and a Thai woman were arrested at the scene.

---------------------------------------------------------------
* Explore EIA's interactive map of illegal trade seizures of rhino horn at eia-international.org/illegal-trade-seizures-rhino-horn
---------------------------------------------------------------

“Pendants, Powder and Pathways*—A rapid assessment of smuggling routes and techniques used in the illicit trade in African rhino horn”, a new report by TRAFFIC, released September 18, documents a number of recent cases in which police have discovered rhino horn processed into jewellery. Bags of rhino horn powder have also been found.

The cases are particularly worrying: they signify an apparent shift in the modus operandi of the organized criminals trafficking horn. Prior to these cases, seizures have typically comprised whole horns, or ones simply cut into two or more pieces. Cutting tusks into smaller items may make sense if you are attempting to try and conceal them in order to smuggle them to the other side of the planet, but the implications are potentially far more serious.

In China, TRAFFIC’s routine monitoring of e-commerce sites has found a number of instances of rhino horns beads, bangles and other items for sale, and while the rhino horn powder—the by-product of rhino horn processing—may well be sold for medicinal usage, it appears rhino horn trafficking is morphing into a luxury product trade.

Full story at www.ipsnews.net/2017/09/shifting-dynamics-rhino-horn-trafficking/

#Africa #SouthAfrica #Asia #China #Vietnam #rhinos #rhinohorn #illegalwildlifetrade TRAFFIC - the wildlife trade monitoring network

Image: Left, rhino (c) EIAimage; centre, rRhino horn products as advertised on WeChat, via Wildlife Justice Commission; right, poached rhino in South Africa (c) EIAimage ... See MoreSee Less

6 hours ago  ·  

Photo

Thailand: Nine more Cambodian illegal rosewood loggers arrested

Troops, police and park officials arrested nine more Cambodian illegal loggers in Thap Lan National Park in Nakhon Ratchasima province after they were captured committing the alleged crime by online cameras.

The nine were arrested on Tuesday morning. On Monday night, Thai authorities had arrested nine other Cambodian suspects.

--------------------------------------------------------------
* China’s luxury furniture craze steeped in blood & driving Siam rosewood to extinction - ht.ly/8FW630fispO
--------------------------------------------------------------

The first group of suspects were arrested after the NCAPS (Network-Centric Anti-Poaching System) cameras detected their alleged illegal activity and alerted officials.

They were arrested on Monday night when they were about to make off with 99 processed planks of Siamese rosewood in their backpacks. Nine others managed to flee but the authorities pursued them and made the arrests the following morning.

Full story at www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30327206

#Thailand #Cambodia #Chia #rosewood #illegallogging #deforestation

Image: Enforcement officials with the arrested loggers and seized rosewood, Thailand, via nationmultimedia.com ... See MoreSee Less

1 day ago  ·  

Photo