Illegal Wildlife Trade

6 Pages 1400 Words

Illegal wildlife trade produces billions of dollars a year globally. It is the second most lucrative illegal trading industry next to drug trafficking. Despite international and local laws designed to crack down on the trade, live animals and animal parts, often those of endangered or threatened species, are sold in open-air markets throughout many regions of the world. Growing demand, leaky borders and the attraction of big money make it a rewarding business. The animals involved in the trade end up as trophies, or in specialty restaurants. Some are used in traditional Asian medicines. One of the monitoring groups, TRAFFIC, claims that as a result, many species are simply disappearing. There are, however, conventions set up to prevent further disappearance and abuse. The Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) is an international agreement between Governments; its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
This sort of trade is most prominent in developing countries. One of the regions most heavily influenced by this market is Asia. China, in particular, is rich in biodiversity especially in the Himalayan region and local people have taken advantage of the resources surrounding them. China has developed a conservation consciousness quite rapidly and has state and local protection lists for these national treasures. The Himalaya region in particular is suffering from illegal trade and hunting despite their implementation of the China Wildlife Protection Law (CWPL). They are especially conscious of the trade of aesthetic mega-fauna such as the Giant Panda, Tibetan Antelope, Saker Falcon.
Conservation in China came about only within the past fifty years. The first nature reserve was established in 1956 called Dighushan Nature Reserve and even then many local governments encouraged poaching for skins. (Li Yi-Ming.) From the 60s-80s wildlife h...