Ahead of the 74th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), EIA has prepared comments and recommendations on agenda items relating to Elephants, Pangolins, Tigers and other Asian Big Cats, Rhinos, Totoaba, Saiga, enforcement and compliance matters.
For a decade, Vietnam has been repeatedly highlighted for its role in the international illegal wildlife trade, so it is encouraging to see the recent efforts taken by the Government to address its involvement; it is to be congratulated for the measures it has taken and the successes it has had domestically.
Unfettered growth of TCM poses a serious threat to biodiversity in Africa, all in the name of short-term profit. Any utilisation of threatened species in TCM could stimulate further demand, incentivise wildlife crime and ultimately lead to overexploitation.
EIA encourages CITES Parties, the CITES Secretariat and Animals Committee to consider the information contained in this briefing document when reviewing the study on pangolins developed in accordance with Decision 18.240, paragraph c)
On the eve of a meeting of the World Heritage Committee, EIA urges it to strip the world-famous Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania of its status as a World Heritage Site due to the irreversible damage done by construction of a controversial dam.
The illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is a major form of transnational organised crime, generating annual income of between $7 billion and $23 billion a year for the criminal syndicates involved. Wildlife crime threatens biodiversity, fuels corruption and impacts public health and the economy.