Wildlife reports

Policy recommendations for the Government of China prior to the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Kunming, 11-24 October 2021

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.

Tackling wildlife crime, stepping up anti-corruption efforts and enhancing access to information and justice are key to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

EIA conducted a review of the information gathered between 2017 and 2020 by its Wildlife and Forests teams in Africa and Asia in order to examine the relationship between wildlife and forest crime. Detailed analysis of this information revealed a relationship (or ’nexus’) between the two crime types in three key areas...

EIA has prepared analysis of the draft revision of China's Wildlife Protection Law, published for public comment in October 2020, along with recommendations for further revisions urgently needed to secure positive changes for threatened wildlife, including tigers, leopards, pangolins, elephants, rhinos and bears.

The global illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is now recognised as a serious transnational organised crime. Although there are various estimates of the scale of the crime, the most commonly quoted figure puts the proceeds from IWT in a range of $7-23 billion a year.