Last year saw record rhino poaching (Image: Bobby Yip/Reuters)
A new agreement between 193 countries is set to clamp down on wildlife crime.
Last week’s UN resolution upgraded the seriousness of such crime, putting it on a par with trafficking people and arms – a development that campaigners hope will take the issue out of its environmental niche and make it a priority for every nation.
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“Wildlife crime is not going to be a soft touch for criminals anymore,” says Sabri Zain, director of advocacy at TRAFFIC, an international organisation monitoring illegal trade in ivory, rhino horn and other wildlife parts. “From now on, it will be taken seriously by the organisations that currently deal with the trafficking of drugs, arms and people.”
The UN resolution has been three years in the making and builds on a declaration last year in London.It calls on governments to broaden the resources and legal tools they commit to tackling wildlife crime.
Serious step-up
“For years now, wildlife crime has been viewed by criminal syndicates as a high-profit, low-risk activity, not least because penalties for those caught have been minuscule,” says Zain.
Often, adds Zain, the same gangs and syndicates smuggling drugs or arms are those engaged in wildlife crime, and governments have now recognised that tackling wildlife crime may help them crack down on the other illegal activities.
To that end, the resolution calls for additional resources to go to international organisations that fight global organised crime, such as Interpol, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and the World Customs Organization.
The involvement of the syndicates has dramatically increased the scale of elephant and rhino poaching, and associated violence towards the conservation rangers. Fewer than 20 rhinos were poached in South Africa in 2007, but last year saw a record 1215 poached.
“In calling for wildlife crime to be treated as a serious crime, both nationally and across borders, the resolution sends a clear signal to organised criminal networks involved in this illicit trafficking that their time will soon be up,” says Achim Steiner, director of the UN Environment Programme.
International priority
Within individual countries and regions, penalties for wildlife offences are expected to be dramatically increased. The additional legal tools and resources that the resolution calls for would also enable countries to combat activities associated with wildlife trafficking, such as money laundering.
“This landmark resolution proves that ending wildlife crime is no longer just an ‘environmental’ issue and not just limited to a few countries: it has become a priority for every nation,” says Marco Lambertini, director general of WWF International.
From now on, governments will have to report back each year to the UN General Assembly on their progress. “This enhances the accountability needed and will give the international community a sense of where progress is being made and where the gaps are,” says Zain.
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