July 22, 2008 - Willem Wijnstekers, Secretary-General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES):

Endangered species are facing many threats today. One of the most significant is illegal trade in these animals and plans and the products made from them. Cross-border cooperation and collaboration, increased political attention to the subject and higher law-enforcement priority are essential if we are to effectively combat the organized crime groups and networks that steal the world’s natural resources.

The CITES Secretariat is pleased to be associated with efforts by the Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking (CAWT) to gain such attention and priority. The international multi-government and multi-organization CAWT partnership is a welcome addition to our ongoing battle against wildlife criminals.

Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs
Washington, DC, August 8, 2008 - The world’s population of critically endangered western lowland gorillas in the Congo Basin of Africa received a huge boost when a recently released census from the Wildlife Conservation Society showed a significant increase in the numbers of these great apes alive and well in the Republic of Congo.

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G-8 Leaders Commit to Reducing Illegal Wildlife Trade

July 8, 2008 - Leaders from the G-8 countries agreed today to reduce threats from the illegal trade in wildlife, saying "We endorse the Kobe Call for Action for Biodiversity and reiterate our commitment to increase our efforts to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss significantly in order to achieve the globally agreed 2010 Biodiversity Target, including by reducing threats from the illicit trade in wildlife."

>> See the full Environment and Climate Change Declaration

Illegal Wildlife Trade: An Interview with Bo Derek

June 10, 2008 - State Department
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Extinction Trade: Endangered animals are the new blood diamonds as militias and warlords use poaching to fund death

Mar 1, 2008 (Newsweek - Mar 10, 2008 issue) - The marauders galloped into Zakouma National Park in Chad, the last refuge of that country's once thriving elephant population. Rather than bother with the few remaining elephants, the attackers last May were after the 1.5 tons of ivory—worth as much as $1.3 million—that Chadian officials had seized from poachers over the years and stored in a strongroom at park headquarters. Neither the audacity of the attack nor its brutality—the raiders killed three park rangers—shocked wildlife officials: some 100 rangers, outgunned and outmanned, are killed every year defending Africa's wildlife. Rather, the shock was the identity of the attackers.

In an ominous sign of how the killing of endangered animals has evolved from a crime committed by small bands of unorganized, mostly poor operators, these attackers were Janjaweed, the militia that has carried out genocidal attacks in Darfur. Lured by easy money, the Janjaweed have expanded their killing fields to endangered species. In the past two years, they have butchered hundreds of elephants around Zakouma, say Chadian authorities, carrying the tusks back to Sudan, where they are secreted on ships bound mostly for Asia—or traded for weapons.

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PHOTO GALLERY:
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South Asian nations pledge cooperation on rampant wildlife trade

Kathmandu, Nepal, Feb 6, 2008 – All eight South Asian nations have agreed to step up cooperation in addressing wildlife trade problems in the area.

The region, home to such rare and prized species as tigers, Asiatic lions, snow leopards, Asian elephants and one-horned rhinoceroses, is recognized as one of the prime targets of international organized wildlife crime networks.

Wildlife trade officials from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka met in Kathmandu last week and defined a series of joint actions under the new South Asia Wildlife Trade Initiative (SAWTI).

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