By The Environmental Investigation Agency

A thriving online illegal trade in the swim bladders of endangered totoaba fish is helping to drive the vaquita porpoise to the brink of extinction.

Vaquita are the most endangered marine mammal on the planet and exist only in a small area of Mexico’s Gulf of California. It is estimated as few as 10 individuals remain, with the population devastated in the past decade as a result of being caught in illegal gillnets set to capture totoabas.

Totoaba swim bladders – known as maws – are in high demand in China and, increasingly, in other Asian countries as a symbol of wealth and for their purported, but unproven, medicinal value.

London: EIA, 2024. 20p.

By R.J. Mather

USAID Wildlife Asia aims to document and understand the current state of wildlife trafficking in Southeast Asia and China through the compilation of secondary information on enforcement actions. USAID Wildlife Asia regularly reviews available information on the trade in elephant, rhinoceros, pangolin and tiger parts and products in target countries, and develops various analyses and recommendations based on this information. This Counter Wildlife Trafficking (CWT) Digest: Southeast Asia and China covers the period January 2017 to December 2017. It is the first in what is expected to be an on-going series, updated every six months. The recommendations provided herein target the broader CWT community and focus on increased government commitment and political will, improved law enforcement, and legal and policy reform processes.

Bangkok: United States Agency for International Development (USAID), March 2018. 39p.

By USAID Wildlife Asia

The USAID Wildlife Asia Activity is a five-year, $24.5 million, regional counter wildlife trafficking initiative addressing the trafficking of pangolins, rhinos, elephants and tigers in Southeast Asia and China. USAID Wildlife Asia regularly updates documentation of the current state of wildlife trafficking of these species through a compilation of secondary sources to report on and analyze trends and changes in patterns of trade. The Activity also provides an evidence base to support decision-making about priority interventions in policy, law enforcement and consumer-demand reduction. This Counter Wildlife Trafficking Digest: Southeast Asia and China, Issue II, covers the period January to December 2018 and is the second issue in the series. The report is based on a compilation of documentation, news articles and reports that are readily available and in the English language only. It is possible that data are missing as a result; therefore, USAID Wildlife Asia does not assume these figures provide a complete data set. The recommendations provided target not only USAID Wildlife Asia directly but also the broader counter wildlife trafficking community and include a focus on social behavior change, improved law enforcement, increased government commitment and political will and effective regional coordination.

Bangkok: USAID Wildlife Asia, 2019. 62p.

By USAID Wildlife Asia

USAID Wildlife Asia is a five-year, US$24.5 million, regional counter wildlife trafficking (CWT) initiative addressing the trafficking of pangolins, tigers, elephants and rhinos in Southeast Asia and China. The USAID Wildlife Asia Activity works to address wildlife trafficking as a transnational crime. The project aims to reduce consumer demand for wildlife parts and products, strengthen law enforcement, enhance legal and political commitment and support regional collaboration to reduce wildlife crime in Southeast Asia, particularly Cambodia, China, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR), Thailand, and Vietnam. TRAFFIC is a leading non-governmental organization working globally on trade in wild animals and plants in the context of both biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. TRAFFIC collaborated with USAID and many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) when researching and writing this report. This report is the third in a series, which builds on the previous USAID digests, Counter Wildlife Trafficking Digest: Southeast Asia and China, 2017, and Counter Wildlife Trafficking Digest: Southeast Asia and China, 2018. This report covers the period January to December 2019 with a focus on pangolins, tigers, elephants, and rhinos, and highlights the key developments in legislation on conservation, outlines some of the innovative social and behavior change communication (SBCC) research projects and campaigns, and then explores the seizures made in 2019. USAID Wildlife Asia and TRAFFIC regularly collect and update documentation on the current state of wildlife trafficking of these species through a compilation of secondary sources to report on and analyze trends and changes in patterns of trade. This information provides an evidence base to support decision-making about priority interventions in policy, law enforcement, and consumer demand reduction. SBCC covers the range of campaigns and the research that provides information on demand for illegal wildlife products, as well as reducing consumer demand for these goods. A wide range of remarkable SBCC projects have been implemented since the previous digest, with new collaborations between NGOs and the travel industry, and with government agencies taking an active role in reducing demand for wildlife products. This report highlights some of these SBCC campaigns along with the gaps remaining to be filled. As with previous issues, this third issue of the digest is based on a compilation of documentation, news articles, and reports that are readily available in the English language. Unlike previous digests, some information is also drawn from translated documents held in TRAFFIC’s Wildlife Trade Information System (WiTIS). Nevertheless, it is possible that some data are still missing; therefore, USAID Wildlife Asia does not assume the figures included provide a complete data set. The recommendations provided target not only USAID Wildlife Asia directly but also the broader counter wildlife trafficking community and include a focus on social behavior change, improved law enforcement, increased government commitment, political will, and effective regional coordination.

Bangkok: USAID Wildlife Asia, 69p.

By USAID Wildlife Asia

This report is the fourth in a series of USAID Counter Wildlife Trafficking Digests (2017- 2020). This issue covers the period from January 1 to December 31, 2020 and focuses on pangolins, tigers, elephants, and rhinos. It highlights major developments in conservation legislation, outlines some of the innovative social and behavior change communication (SBCC) research projects and campaigns, and explores enforcement efforts and seizures made in 2020. It is intended that this analysis will provide a helpful summary for individuals interested in recent developments in the illegal wildlife trade, and more importantly, catalyze further actions to counter the illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade. USAID regularly collects and updates documentation on the current state of wildlife trafficking through a compilation of direct observations, published material and secondary data sources. This data is then evaluated and publicized in order to keep stakeholders and the general public informed. This information also provides an evidence base to support policy reformation, enforcement actions, consumer behavior changes, and conservation interventions.

Bangkok: United States Agency for International Development (USAID), 2022. 80p.

By Jihane Ben Yahia

Summary The goldfinch is at risk of extinction in the Maghreb. 1 Years of unrestrained poaching and trafficking have almost decimated it in Tunisia and Algeria. Morocco, its last preserve in the North African subregion, is today the main hotspot for poaching and trafficking the species. The songbird, which fetches hundreds of euros in neighbouring countries (and in Europe), is prized for its glorious voice and is domesticated and trained for singing competitions. Despite increasing awareness of the threat and many efforts to protect it, Moroccan wildlife and law enforcement authorities are struggling to detect and prosecute poachers and traffickers and prevent the eradication of this ornithological treasure. Key points ∙ The goldfinch has almost disappeared from Tunisia and Algeria and in Morocco its numbers are declining. ∙ The reduction in the population is the result of environmental factors as well as of a high demand in the sub-region and in Europe, where the bird is domesticated and trained to sing in competitions. ∙ Criminal networks use Morocco as a hub for catching goldfinch and trafficking them to Algeria and Tunisia. ∙ Morocco has adopted legislation to protect the goldfinch and launches regular operations to combat the trafficking of protected species. ∙ Bringing goldfinch associations and federations into the regulatory ambit poses a challenge. ∙ There is no dedicated strategy to address the illicit capture and trafficking of the goldfinch in the Maghreb.

ENACT - Africa, 2020. 12p.

By The Wildlife Justice Commission

Over the last century, the wild tiger population has decreased to alarmingly low levels. While tigers are adversely affected by climate change, habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict, the illegal tiger trade is said to be the most imminent threat. For the past six years, the Wildlife Justice Commission has been investigating tiger-related crime in the Greater Mekong Subregion under Operation Ambush. Tigers are classified as a CITES Appendix I species, meaning they are threatened with extinction. Despite this, the world’s biggest cat is still being trafficked – particularly in parts of Asia – to meet an unrelenting demand for traditional medicine, jewellery, décor, and pets. Although international trade in tigers has been prohibited since 1975, during the six-year investigation of Operation Ambush, we identified numerous organised crime networks which supply the entire spectrum of the illegal tiger trade, ranging from canines and claws to skin and bones, and even live tigers.  Tigers also continue to be bred in both legal and illegal captive facilities – otherwise known as tiger farms. Our new report closely examines the role of such facilities in enabling tiger-related wildlife crime in Southeast Asia. While poaching remains a significant concern, the intelligence and evidence we collected under Operation Ambush suggests that tiger farms in the Greater Mekong region – especially in Lao PDR, Thailand, and Vietnam – present a significant threat to the survival of tigers across Southeast Asia.  Contrary to claims that captive tiger breeding facilities promote and encourage conservation, the Wildlife Justice Commission’s findings suggest the opposite; tiger farming actually perpetuates the supply and demand for the illegal tiger trade run by organised crime networks. 

The Hague: Wildlife Justice Commission, 2022. 18p.

By A. Pragatheesh , Vinita Sharma , C.P. Sharma , H.V. Girisha

The fine wool Shahtoosh obtained from the Tibetan Antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii Abel, 1826) which is endemic to Tibetan Plateau, is highly valued for its rarity, warmth and lightness. The illegal trade in Shahtoosh may lead to extinction of this species. The Tibetan Antelope is protected from commercial trade throughout its range, both nationally and internationally thereby prohibiting any commercial use or trade of any product in India and in the international market. Though globally banned the illegal trade of Shahtoosh driven by international demand has continued to be actively operational undercover in India. In order to bypass this trade ban, the traffickers mis-declare Shahtoosh consignments as Pashmina, Cashmere or conceal by mixed them in shipments between look-alike woolen products. In the present study the illegal Shahtoosh trade was analysed from 2009 to 2020. The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau has envisaged Operation Soft Gold to curb this. A total of 62 confirmed Shahtoosh cases were detected in India from 2009 to 2020. Most of them were detected at exit points and intended for international smuggling. The Indri Gandhi International airport New Delhi in India was the most preferred airport, while Air Cargo and Air Courier were often used by the traffickers. Our analysis shows that the illegal Shahtoosh trade network is going on between the Western Asian countries, Oman, China, Japan, Pakistan, UK, Spain, Hong Kong and Switzerland are either destination or transit countries for illegal Shahtoosh products.

Forensic Science International: Animals and Environments. Volume 2, December 2022.

By Davyth Stewart, Christian Nellemann, Ben Brock, Emilie Van der Henst

Wildlife and timber trafficking often involves transnational organised crime networks and generates significant illicit proceeds, billions each year. Despite the seriousness of this criminal activity, related financial investigations and asset recovery approaches remain largely under-utilised in the EU, with investigations and prosecutions of wildlife trafficking still relying primarily on charges for poaching or trafficking. Wildlife criminals are, therefore, not punished for the financial crimes they have committed, and their criminal assets remain in their hands, allowing them to further invest in their illegal business.

TRAFFIC International Cambridge, United Kingdom. 2023. 86p.

By Marianne Allison Lee, Ramacandra Wong

Giant clams (Bivalvia: Cardiidae: Tridacninae) are the largest bivalves in the world. They are distributed in the tropical and subtropical waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans and play a vital role in the ecosystem. Giant clams contribute to coral reef health, abundance, and diversity by increasing seabed heterogeneity, acting as a substrate for reef-associated organisms, providing an additional food source, and filtering water to sequester nutrients, among others (Othman et al., 2010; Neo et al., 2015). Under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), giant clams are classified under family Tridacnidae, but a recent phylogenetic analysis placed the twelve extant giant clam species under family Cardiidae and sub-family Tridacninae (Tan, 2021). Ten of these giant clam species have been listed on CITES Appendix II since 1985. This listing was in response to the increased harvesting of giant clams for their meat, shells, and the aquarium trade that led to some species like Southern Giant Clam Tridacna derasa, Giant Clam T. gigas, and Scaly Clam T. squamosa becoming locally extinct in their range countries (Lucas, 1994; Wells, 1997; Huelsken et al., 2013). In 2010, Othman et al. reported that populations of all seven species of giant clams in Southeast Asia were in severe decline, while some species were functionally extinct. This has moved some countries, such as the Philippines and Indonesia, to implement giant clam restocking programmes.

TRAFFIC, Southeast Asia Regional Office, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia., 2023. 16p.

By L. Musing

This report investigates the domestic legislation, and policies regarding the keeping and captive breeding of tigers and disposal of their parts in the EU, and the enforcement of these regulations. Six target countries were selected as a focus for this study: Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, and the UK, based on preliminary trade data analysis and suspected or known links to the captive tiger population and tiger trade nexus. Between February and July 2020, interviews and consultations were conducted through written questionnaires and video-calls with stakeholders, including the CITES Management and/or Enforcement Authorities of the six target countries, European and national zoo associations, and relevant NGOs. CITES trade data for the period 2013 through 2017 were used to analyse reported legal trade patterns involving tigers to and from the EU, and data for the same time period from two seizures databases: EU-TWIX and TRAFFIC’s Wildlife Trade Information System (WiTIS), were used to assess the EU’s involvement in the illegal trade of tigers and their parts and derivatives.

Cambridge, UK: TRAFFIC, and World Wildlife Fund, 2020. 53p.

By E.Y. Sy and K. Krishnassamy 

Over 90 percent of the Philippine Pangolins documented to have been seized from illegal trade over the last two decades have been seized in the last two years of the period, says a new TRAFFIC study. The estimated equivalent of 740 Critically Endangered Philippine Pangolins were seized from illegal trade in the country between 2000 and 2017. However, between 2018 and 2019, an estimated 6,894 pangolins were seized suggesting a stunning nine-fold increase in pangolins seized between the two periods

TRAFFIC, Southeast Asia Regional Office, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.2020. 28p.

By Richard Bennett and Simone Pfuderer

In this paper, we analyse the demand for and supply of donkey hides. Ejiao has a long tradition in Traditional Chinese Medicine but it used to be a product reserved for the elite in Chinese society. … The rapid economic development in China has not only led to an increase in demand for ejiao but also to a rapid decrease in the domestic supply of donkeys. …. We use the systems dynamics model to assess the potential of countries to sustainably supply donkey hides over the next decade. The model shows that trade can contribute to the supply of donkey hides but it will be not possible to meet the current demand. Thus prices are likely to continue to increase. We conclude that there is currently a shortfall in supply of donkey hides that cannot be met either within China or from other countries. For this reason, fake ejiao products and illegal activities are likely to continue to characterise the donkey hide and ejiao markets.

Discussion paper prepared for presentation at the 93th Annual Conference of the Agricultural Economics Society, University of Warwick, UK, 15 - 17 April 2019. 22p.

By The Donkey Sanctuary

The illegal wildlife trade is a serious transnational organised crime. It is also a significant financial crime. Worldwide, for every wildlife product trafficked illegally, money changes hands – from online marketplaces to cross-border wire transfers. At United for Wildlife, our mission is to bring together relevant and leading players from the public, private and not-for-profit sectors to combat this heinous crime and save protected species from extinction.

Sidmouth, Devon, UK: The Donkey Sanctuary, 2022. 54p.

By Liwalam Madikiza

In this paper, a review and assessment of the status of the fishery was done by looking at the abalone policy objectives for the Long Term Fishing Rights Allocation Process and examine the status of those specific policy objectives. In addition, a general assessment of the fishery focusing on important topical issues was conducted. Since the implementation of MLRA, a reasonable progress has been made towards legalizing and management of abalone fishing industry, but the major threat of escalating reports of illegal fishing or poaching has a detrimental effect to the resource. Most of the abalone (legal and illegal) is exported to the Far East. Political changes in South Africa i.e. the end of apartheid regime added both urgency and expectations of broadened access and might have prompted those that were disappointed by the outcome of the process of rights allocation to join illegal fishing. There are currently 303 authorized commercial abalone right holders as opposed to 5 right holders prior to the transformation process, with a further number of people directly depending on this fishery to meet the basic requirements for living.

United Nations University, Fisheries Training Program, Iceland. 2015. 44p.

By Jonny Steinberg

There are five species of abalone endemic to South Africa, but only one, Haliotis midae, is of any commercial value. Known in South Africa as perlemoen (from the Dutch Paarlemoer, meaning mother-of-pearl), it was endemic to several hundred kilometres of South African coastline stretching from Table Bay to the Eastern Cape before overexploitation threatened it with extinction.1 It is a large marine snail with a shell length of up to 230mm that lives in shallow water and takes seven to nine years to mature. It is believed to live for 30 years or longer.2 The story of its overexploitation is an extraordinary one. The meat of perlemoen has always been highly valued in East Asia, and South Africans were aware of its commercial value throughout the second half of the twentieth century. Unrestricted commercial harvesting began in South Africa in 1949. By the mid-1960s, about 2,800 tons of abalone were being taken from the sea annually. In a bid to stem overexploitation and protect the resource, seasonal quotas were introduced in 1970. The first annual quota (or Total Allowable Catch) was 700 tons, and decreased marginally and incrementally over the following two-and-a-half decades; by 1995, the annual quota was 615 tons.

Pretoria: Institute for Security Studies, 2005. 17p.

By Shamini Jayanathan

This report, commissioned by the Environmental Investigation Agency UK (EIA) in partnership with Africa Nature Investors Foundation (ANI) and supported by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), is the first of its kind to undertake an in-depth legislative analysis of the federal wildlife-related laws of Nigeria alongside those of six states identified as key for addressing wildlife crime in Nigeria, namely Adamawa, Kano, Lagos, Rivers, Cross River and Taraba States. It builds on recommendations made by the EIA in its report of 2018 regarding Nigeria’s progress on its National Ivory Action Plan (NIAP) which included the need to conduct an assessment under the auspices of the International Consortium for Combatting Wildlife Crime (ICCWC). This report’s focus on legislation will complement such an effort that will in due course be undertaken by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Nigeria: Africa Nature Investors Foundation; London:Environmental Investigation Agency (UK), 2021. 36p.

By David Kamweti, Deborah Osiro and Donald A. Mwiturubani

An environmental crime can be defined as a grave act against the environment that results in the infringement of the right of citizens to a clean and healthy environment. For such an act to constitute a crime, it must contravene laid-down legislation in the various sectors of the environment, such as forestry, water and wildlife. Environmental offences have, for a long time, been treated as misdemeanours, and not felonies. Environmental crime is a serious and growing concern, leading to the near extinction of valuable wildlife species, and significantly impacting on the biological integrity of the planet. It contributes to environmental degradation, which in turn affects the quality and quantity of environmental resources. By doing so, it leads to unhealthy competition for these scarce resources, and subsequently to volatile situations and even resource-use conflicts. As such, environmental crime impacts on human livelihoods.

Pretoria, South Africa: Institute for Security Studies, 2009. 96p.

By Debbie Banks and Julian Newman

This report is a call to action to stop the international illegal trade in tiger and other endangered Asian big cat skins. It draws together information from India, Nepal and China, as source, transit and destination countries. It also highlights the urgent need for governments to improve wildlife crime investigation, analysis, enforcement, communication and cooperation. Parties to the United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) need to demonstrate greater political commitment and treat wildlife crime more seriously. Key range, transit and destination countries need to establish specialised enforcement units capable of combating the organised criminal networks controlling the trade. Professional enforcement agencies need to be involved in ensuring greater cross-border communication and coordination and the international community, both government and non-government, needs to provide adequate technical and financial assistance in mobilising new enforcement initiatives. There can be no doubt that the skin trade is spiralling out of control. On a remote road in the west of the Tibet Autonomous Region (hereafter referred to as Tibet), in October 2003, customs officers at a temporary checkpoint made a startling discovery that lifted the lid on the true scale of the illegal trade in tiger and leopard skins. In a single consignment officers recovered the skins of 31 tigers, 581 leopards and 778 otters. The skins came from India and were on route to Lhasa, capital of Tibet, a major hub for the trade.

London; New York: Environmental Investigation Agency, 2004. 24p.

Read/Download

Edited by Kristiina Kangaspunta; Ineke Haen Marshall

The careless or illegal exploitation of the natural environment is by no means a recent development. Long before former US Vice President Al Gore’s documentary An Inconvenient Truth made the dangers of the nonchalant and predatory use of our planet’s resources painfully real to large audiences, toxic waste was dumped in rivers and oceans, there was clear felling of forests and timber smuggling, and threatened or protected species (both animals and plants) were transported and traded for profit. Some of this took place locally, some of this crossed national borders. Some of this was perfectly legal, and some of this had been declared illegal either by local, national or international statutes. Sometimes the harm done was obvious to even the most casual observer, but very often it was not. Sometimes it was the work of one individual or a small group, but frequently networks or organized crime groups were involved. Occasionally, an individual, community group or NGO voiced their complaint, but more often than not there was a deafening silence. Now the silence has been broken – for reasons we can only speculate about, but which clearly include the ‘greening’ of politics, the emergence of local and global grassroots environmental justice movements, and the growing concern of large corporations with the damaging public relation effects of being viewed as ‘eco-hostile’. A tipping point has been reached where enough voices speak out loud and urgently to place environmental harm as a high priority item on the policy agenda. The publication before you aims to add a strong voice to the debate. The authors hope to contribute to the articulation of a global research agenda on environmental crime; a research agenda based on commitment to the following three principles: (1) Recognition of the value of evidence–based policy-making (over policies based on expediency, political pressures, or purely economic considerations); (2) Willingness to appreciate the importance of theoretical insights drawn from different disciplines to guide policy, and (3) Concern with balancing human and ecological rights. This Introduction provides the context for this effort.

Turin : UNICRI, cop. 2009. 129p.