[270517.EN.BIZ] China Tops All-country List For Trafficking in Endangered Species

AN analysis of airport wildlife seizures worldwide reveals that China tops the list of countries doing business with wildlife smugglers.

The study was produced by C4ADS as part of the USAID Reducing Opportunities for Unlawful Transport of Endangered Species (ROUTES) Partnership, reports London's Air Cargo News.

The study discovered that air transport systems were being exploited to smuggle protected and endangered species and animal products on commercial flights.

China tops the list because to its role in the ivory trade followed by Thailand and the United Arab Emirates.

Entitled "Flying Under the Radar: Wildlife Trafficking in the Air Transport Sector", the report analyses airport seizures of ivory, rhino horn, birds and reptiles from January 2009 to August 2016.

These four account for 66 per cent of all trafficked wildlife, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and serve as indicators for wider trends within illicit wildlife trafficking.

The illegal trade of wildlife is the fourth largest black market in the world - worth in the region of US$20 billion annually and impacts more than 7,000 species of animals and plants.

"Criminal organisations involved in wildlife trafficking are often directly connected to other trafficking networks, including the smuggling of narcotics, arms and people," the report said.

The seizure data in the survey indicates that wildlife traffickers moving ivory, rhino horn, reptiles and birds by air tend to rely on large hub airports all over the world.

Overall, 114 countries - the US ranked 10th - had at least one instance of wildlife trafficking in the air transport sector during the period covered.

Ivory and rhino horn trafficking routes appear fairly concentrated in Africa and Asia, although the products often transit through countries in the Middle East and Europe.

Reptile and bird trafficking routes, by contrast, appear geographically diverse, with concentrations in North America, Europe, the Middle East and South Asia.

Jon Godson, assistant director of environment at the International Air Transport Association (IATA), said: "Airlines are rarely informed if there has been a wildlife seizure from their aircraft. Data like this can demonstrate not only high risk routes, species and concealment methods but also the truly global nature of this exploitation."

Source : HKSG.