February 21 is World Pangolin Day and to mark the occasion we’re pleased to publish this guest blog from Darren Pietersen, chairman of the African Pangolin Working Group, a not-for-profit organisation based in Africa which undertakes research and conservation activities on pangolins in various African countries
With as few as 3,200 wild tigers remaining, every single one counts. Based on known incidents of poaching, trafficking and illegal sales, at least 1,500 tigers have ended up in trade since 2000. That might not grab the same headlines as the tragedy unfolding for Africa’s elephants and rhinos but it is no less a crisis
With the crisis facing elephants and rhinos, it is a timely reminder to the international community not to forget the tiger, especially in the lead up to a high-level international meeting in Botswana in March 2015, a follow-up to the London Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade hosted by the UK in February 2014
Looking back over the past 12 months, during which EIA celebrated its 30th anniversary, it’s evident that 2014 has been yet another hectic and successful year
From EIA’s perspective, corruption is a key enabling factor in environmental crime, especially the theft of natural resources. Research has shown that the more affected it is by corruption, the poorer a country’s environmental performance – a theoretical link borne out by the findings of many EIA field investigations
On November 6, the Environmental Investigation Agency released a major new report detailing rampant elephant poaching and ivory smuggling in Tanzania, with the bulk of the contraband tusks bound for the Chinese market