The Combat for Wildlife Trafficking
The United States, the European Union and 44 others signed Feb. 13 in London a declaration setting forth new efforts to combat illegal trade in wildlife, which is valued at about $19 billion annually and has increased significantly in recent years. This declaration follows the Obama administration’s Feb. 11 announcement of a new National Strategy (see below) to curtail such trade. [source]
In order to decrease these illegal activities, the signatories commit to the following actions:
– Raising public awareness
– Ensuring prosection and penalties for criminals
– Strengthening law enforcement
– Conducting further research to help combat this issue
The New National Strategy:
The Obama Administration announced Feb. 11 a new national strategy aimed at countering the “global security threat posed by poaching and illegal trade in wildlife.”
The National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking establishes three priorities:
- strengthening domestic and global enforcement,
- reducing demand for illegally traded wildlife at home and abroad, and
- strengthening partnerships with international partners, local communities, non-governmental organizations, private industry and others.
