WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING AND ITS PROTECTION POLICIES
SAKSHI KUMARI
INTRODUCTION
Unlike pet animals, the undomesticated animal species, which is ‘wildlife’, is something that can be found in all ecosystems without being introduced by humans and includes all the wild animals, including those animals that are hunted for food, sport, sport or profit.
There has been a notable increase in the trading of these wildlife creatures in recent years.
Wildlife trade is something that refers to the illegal and legal buying and selling of wildlife animals and their products. However, this illegal wildlife trade has increased in various parts of the world. The upswing in wildlife trafficking has been posing major conservation challenges for wildlife animals. The demand for exotic pets has contributed to the surge in wildlife trading.
The upturn in the wildlife trade jeopardises many endangered species with extinction.
Poaching, hunting, and smuggling activities have magnified wildlife trafficking to such an extent that it has amplified the space for new illegal smugglers to step into this world of wildlife trafficking without any fear and are taking these illegal activities to an international level, which is becoming a big platform for these offenders to commit such offences.
Heterogeneous law enforcement agencies are working unceasingly to combat the surging wildlife trafficking.
The international community is concerned about the surge in illegal wildlife trafficking.
Wildlife trafficking is considered among the most profitable illegal industries in the world, with an estimated annual value of 7–23 billion USD about 10 years ago, as per data collected from different agencies. Since the period under consideration, it is highly presumed that the value of the subject in question has experienced substantial increases.This wildlife trafficking system is consistently run by high-end international and well-organized criminal networks straining to take advantage of the trade’s money-making incentives while reducing the associated risk.
IMPACT ON WILDLIFE
The protection of elephants, rhinos, and tigers has received an ample amount of global attention, but other mammals are in severe danger.
Across the expanse of a broad assortment of the animal world involving various species of reptiles, birds, amphibians, amphibians etc., there is a pressing issue of rigorous impact coming out of poaching and the unlawful trade of these creatures.
The African elephant population has fallen from an estimated 12 million a century ago to around 350,0000 today. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCM), more than 100,000 African elephants were killed during 2006–2015 by poaching.
The pangolins have been poached for their skins, meat, and scales, but unfortunately, all eight species are at risk of extinction.
All eight species of pangolin are listed in Appendix 1 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), meaning that all international trade is prohibited, and the IUCN red list classifies them from “vulnerable “to “critically endangered “.
Even specific species of shark are now facing extinction because of the high demand for their fins, which are used for cosmetic purposes, which has led to the downfall of shark species globally.
14 shark species are now listed in Appendix 11 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which requires that any international trade in these species be legal and not detrimental to populations in the wild.
These are just limited data, as the world of illegal buying and selling of wildlife animals is so vast that it cannot be covered within limited words. Snakes like Australian pythons and New Zealand geckos are in high demand in the high-end pet market, as are other such creatures that are in danger.
Why should this matter to us?
The contentment and financial stability of people living in rural and remote areas of tropical forests are significantly swayed by their involvement in wildlife hunting for sustenance and monetary gains since there is a lack of better financial and educational opportunities. Somewhere or other, they are bound to do such things, which ultimately leads to the loss of wildlife and thus results in forcing them to get engaged in the illegal trade of animals.
The earth’s forests are home to numerous species protected by CITES, as well as countries responsible for shipments of illegally sourced animals and timber and wood products. It is us who need to understand that we and our future generations will have to suffer for the loss we are doing to wildlife for our personal benefits.
INTERNATIONAL POLICIES FOR WILDLIFE PROTECTION
International environmental conventions and treaties bring together governments and international organisations. non-governmental organisations and collaborate with stakeholders to encounter the issues of wildlife protection and identify solutions to global environmental issues.
There are various agreements and treaties determined for the protection of wildlife, encircling both land and marine species. They serve as legal frameworks that help to protect wildlife by guiding international trade in wildlife and related issues as observed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), promoting transboundary protection through the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS).
CITES ,itself protects more than 40,900 species, comprising approximately 6,610 animal species and 34,310 plant species, from excessive exploitation in international trade .
The effectiveness of CITES is quite visible as it includes other member countries whom they name as parties to be their members, and their laws are legally binding on these other parties too, but this does not mean CITES replaces a country’s own law; rather, it provides a set of guidelines that each party must follow and make its own national laws.
Each country’s duty is to make sure CITES rules are followed within its boundaries. Currently, there are 184 parties in CITES. Apart from these two, one more major convention, “The Convention on Biological Diversity,” aims to elevate the conservation of biological diversity and sustainable use of the earth’s resources. CBD presently consists of 196 parties.
Regulations were established by The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora to avoid exploitation and misuse of endangered plants and animals species.
Achievements of international wildlife law strategies include:
- Protected areas under this wildlife protection.
- New legislation for each country as per combined laws.
- Priority for conservation of endangered plants and species.
- Increased cooperation among stakeholders and funding for conservation.
To unlock the potentiality of international wildlife laws, to increase their effectiveness, and to make the most of their limited protection and safety fund, It is important to include unique strategy combinations and take into account individual circumstances. Prioritising facilitation over confrontation is key, as resistance can weaken the long-term backing for a legal framework. In certain cases, legal action may be indispensable to securing compliance.
CONCLUSION
As an integral part of the world’s ecosystems, wildlife plays a crucial role in maintaining the balance and stability of nature. Educating people on the conservation of wildlife is the most crucial role we need to play as humans have been co-living with these different species for years. Saying no to wildlife products such as leather bags, shoes, cosmetic products and perfumes could help us to conserve these wildlife animals to some extent.
Apart from this denying animal cruelty for entertainment purposes could also assist in the protection of these wild creatures around us. Stopping hunting and poaching of big animals like elephants could help to save the economic loss of local people too as in a country like India wildlife tourism is seen as a primary source of income.
These international anti-wildlife trafficking treaties play a great role in protecting numerous different species across the world and help to maintain a peaceful environment around us.
What we need to do is to make people aware of all these strategies which could help them to save more wildlife for our future as humans and wildlife are dependent on each other for survival.
REFERENCES
- https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/conservation/protecting-species/illegal-wildlife-trade
- http://www.internationalwildlifelaw.org/ANIMALPROTECTIONACT.html
- https://cites.org/eng/disc/species.php#:~:text=Over%2040%2C900%20species%20%E2%80%93%20including%20roughly,in%20the%20three%20CITES%20Appendices.
Images from different sources
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