Illegal wildlife trade is estimated to be a multibillion-dollar business, making it the fourth most lucrative illegal trade in the world; it ranks right after drugs, human trafficking and the arms trade. This trade generates between $5-100 billion annually. Deeply disturbed, it consists on the sell or exchange of wild animals and plant resources with the purpose of obtaining leather goods or souvenirs, traditional medicine and luxury’s. Endangered animals and plants are often the target of wildlife crime because of their rarity and increased economic value, causing the extension of many species. China, Thailand, India, Asia and Africa play key roles in the trade network. The USA and the UK are also participants, we are able to observe that they are ranked near the bottom. The countries in favor of this trade are down for it because of their cultures, thinking that it’s a way of paying tribute to their souls; however, as the time passed, they realized that they could gain a good amount of money, which helps them grow their economy. The income of this illegal trade became the only resource for many countries that are involved too. The wildlife trade has been around for 40 years, it started in Africa and Asia. Profits from wildlife trafficking benefit criminal syndicates and terrorist organizations, promote corruption and erode good governance. The illegal timber trade generates billions of dollars, creating enormous economic distortions in global wood markets. Viewing with appreciation, many countries have donated a good sum of money to end this trade; countries like Canada, Germany, UK, Botswana, and many more. Each country that is against the wildlife trade, supports campaigns and companies who are in charge of fighting for the rights of these species.
Recognizing that not all wildlife trade
is illegal and not always a problem, we still need to contemplate the
consequences of the animal losses. Populations of species on earth have
declined by an average 40% between 1970 and 2000. Keeping in mind wildlife trade can cause
overexploitation, to
the point where the survival of a species hangs in the balance. Illegal trade in wildlife abuses the
poorest populations and weakens government authority by compromising the rule
of law. The existence of illegal trade is also worrying because it undermines
countries' efforts to protect their natural resources. Convinced, the countries of Canada, Mexico, USA, New Zeeland,
Australia, and many others, have always been against this trade from the very
begging, while Asia and Africa have also been in favor. Welcoming all of the campaigns and companies that have come
together to the favor of the species, we can see the results. We see Uhuru
Kenyattta President of Kenya, taking action towards poaching, by burning 6,000
elephant tusks in the Kenya National Wildlife Park. This decision was
approached in the International wildlife trading meeting. Taking note of the problem the President says “The future of the African elephant and
rhino is far from secure so long as demand for their products continues to
exist,” Campaigns and
companies such as, TRAFFIC, WWF, UNEA, IUCN, One Green Planet, Green Peace, etc.
All of them with the same purpose; protect the species of the world. These
companies has united with different countries like the UK, Canada, USA,
Switzerland, Mexico, Kenya and a lot more.
-Kate Good. (2014). 10 Shocking
Facts About How the Illegal Wildlife Trade Drives Species Extinction. 2017, de
One Green Planet Sitio web: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/environment/shocking-facts-about-how-the-illegal-wildlife-trade-drives-species-extinction/
-Simon Milledge. (---). Positive and
negative conservation and livelihood impacts of wildlife trade regulation in
the East Usambara Mountains. 2017, de TRAFFIC Sitio web: http://www.tfcg.org/pdf/article_wildlife_trade.pdf
-Fiona Harvey. (2016). Kenya to burn
biggest ever stockpile of ivory. 2017, de The Guardian Sitio web: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/apr/29/kenya-to-burn-biggest-ever-stockpile-of-ivory
-Peter Wilson. (2014). The London
Declaration’s Role in the Fight Against Wildlife Trade. 2017, de UN Chronicle
Sitio web: https://unchronicle.un.org/article/london-declaration-s-role-fight-against-wildlife-trade
-Justin Worland. (2015). These
Countries Are At The Center of The Illegal Wildlife Trade. 2017, de TIME Sitio
web: http://time.com/3921138/illegal-wildlife-trade-countries/
-Kaleigh Rogers. (2015). The Six
Countries Keeping the Tiger Poaching Trade Alive. 2017, de Motherboard Sitio
web: https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/the-six-countries-keeping-the-tiger-poaching-trade-alive
