UN/GA: Wildlife comes to the plenary

Poaching and the illicit trafficking of wildlife products were raised for the first time at the General Assembly during discussions on strengthening national and international governance.

In a written statement, the United States highlighted “the harm caused by wildlife poaching and trafficking to conservation efforts, rule of law, governance and economic development.”

“Such organized crime is increasingly affecting the environment and biodiversity through poaching and illegal fishing,” Gabon’s President Ali Bongo said during the High-level Meeting on the Rule of Law. “Gabon intends to strengthen its criminal justice system to combat this phenomenon. But such efforts will require a greater international legal cooperation.” President Bongo took the occasion to reaffirm his country’s commitment to “combating violations of the Convention on International Trade [in] Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora as well as other conventions to protect the environment and biodiversity.”

France also emphasized the severity and negative impacts of wildlife crime. “There are still entire sectors of activity without any legal safety,” French Minister Delegate for Development Pascal Canfin said. “International law is lacking when it comes to the plundering of natural resources, for example, or the trafficking of fauna.”

COMIFAC: Wildlife Law

The Central Africa Forest Commission (COMIFAC) has agreed on a Regional Action Plan for Strengthening National Wildlife Law Implementation for 2012-2016. The plan consists of four elements:
- cooperation and collaboration among relevant wildlife law enforcement and prosecution authorities;
- investigations at key border and transit points, domestic markets and transboundary areas;
- effective deterrents and prosecutions; and
- awareness of illegal wildlife trade issues.

The Action Plan will form the basis of a wildlife enforcement network in Central Africa, like those already in place in Central America, Europe, South and Southeast Asia. Participants also agreed to a roadmap for the implementation of the Action Plan, which includes the submission of the Action Plan for formal endorsement at the next meeting of the Council of Ministers of COMIFAC.

Press Release

West African Black Rhino Extinct

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) declared the subspecies officially extinct on 10 November 2011, while warning that other species and populations of rhino also are on the brink of extinction as a result of rampant poaching. In reaction, John Scanlon, Secretary-General of CITES, has called for a more assertive multilateral approach to prosecute the organized crime groups behind illegal trade in rhino horns.

UN Press Release

CITES: E-Permitting in Amazon States

A Regional Meeting on Electronic Information Management and Permitting under CITES agreed on the desirability of promoting regional cooperation among CITES and customs authorities on implementing e-permitting with help from the Secretariats of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) and CITES, and the World Customs Organization. Attended by delegations from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela, the new electronic systems will allow the harmonization of CITES and customs controls and data standards, while providing more efficient tracing of trade in wildlife products.
ACTO Press Release (Spanish)

Tiger Conservation Initiative

During its 80th Assembly, Interpol along with the World Bank and other partners launched Project Predator, an initiative to protect and save the world’s last surviving wild tigers by uniting the efforts of police, customs and wildlife officials in the 13 states in Asia. The program will commence with a meeting of senior police and customs officials from tiger range states, scheduled to be held in Bangkok (Thailand) from 13-14 February 2012.

Bushmeat meeting concludes

Approximately 55 experts from 43 Governments and UN agencies, international and national organziations and indigenous and local community organizations (Joint meeting of CBD Bushmeat Liaison Group and CITES Central Africa Bushmeat Working Group) met from 7-10 June in Nairobi (Kenya) and adopted a set of recommendations seeking to reverse the growing trend of illegal trade in the meat and other parts of wild mammals, birds and reptiles ("bushmeat").

In addition to recognizing the need to clarify and define land tenure and access rights, improve monitoring of bushmeat-harvesting and trade, and enhance bushmeat-related law enforcement; key recommendations to stakeholders include:

- Implement community wildlife management, and other improved wildlife management approaches, such as game ranching, and hunting tourism;

- Increase the raising of "mini-livestock" (wild animals such as cane rats raised in small farms);

- Support the sustainable harvesting of non-timber forest products, such as bee-keeping.

More information

 

ICCWC: Programme of Work

The Senior Experts Group of the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (launched during the International Tiger Conservation Forum in November 2010) recently met to agree its programme of work for 2011. [UNODC Press Release] [CITES Press Release]