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1 1 (October 15, 2015)

handle is hein.crs/govcczp0001 and id is 1 raw text is: &~ ~ riE SE .$rCh &~ ~ ~ October 15, 2015 Wildlife Poaching and Trafficking in Asia: An Overview Asian demand for illegal wildlife has increased in recent years, raising concerns about species conservation amid heightened poaching rates. As one of several contributing threats to biodiversity, wildlife poaching also raises national security and transnational crime concerns. Crimes related to illegal wildlife reportedly generate billions of dollars each year, a source of funds that may fuel instability and finance armed groups, particularly in Africa. Closer to illicit retail outlets, the markup on wildlife products is most pronounced in Asia, and Asian criminal groups largely control this high- profit, low-risk black market-often benefitting from the cooperation of corrupt government officials to facilitate cross-border shipments and protect traffickers. According to the United Nations, environmental crimes represent nearly one-third of the Asia-Pacific black market, conservatively estimated to be worth approximately $86 billion annually (see Figure 1, below). Illegal wildlife, however, represents only a small portion of major environmental crimes in the region (the largest contributor to environmental crimes is illegal trade in wood products). Figure I. Organized Crime in the Asia-Pacific Region co i:f - -jd, { , ; 2 :o X sOod P ci.- s Am:J a0% : ie e-WuJ' to Asia i4%i Source: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Transnational Organized Crime in East Asia and the Pacific (2013). The recent surge in Asian demand for illegal wildlife is driven largely by an expansion of wealth in Asian countries and the perceived value of rare wildlife and related products as luxury goods, exotic pets, restaurant delicacies, and ingredients in traditional Asian medicine. According to the United Nations, illegal marine wildlife trafficking (excluding off-shore illegal fishing) represents the largest market in Asia (at least $850 million annually). Such trafficking involves species of sharks, marine turtles, corals and aquarium fish, and seahorses. Among illegally traded mammals, Asian consumer demand for elephant ivory has surged in recent years and represents more than half the total illegal wildlife market for mammals in Asia (more than $200 million annually). Other wildlife commonly trafficked include pangolins, rhinos, bears, and tigers. Illegal Ivory: Top Asian Countries of Concern At the 1 6th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora in 2013, eight States Parties were identified as countries of primary concern for their role in the illegal trade in elephant ivory-including five Asian countries: China (including Hong Kong), Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. At subsequent CITES Standing Committee meetings, several additional countries were designated as countries of secondary concern or importance to watch-including Laos. T.g-enr ' a nd P .',,,m,' Tre,, Wild tigers in Asia are believed to range across 13 countries, although field estimates suggest that tiger populations are declining overall (see Table 1 below). Bucking the trend, India has reported increases of up to 30% in tiger populations in the past three years. Captive tiger populations in several Asian countries may be higher. For example, China has over 5,000 captive tigers. Table I. Wild Tiger Population Estimates Country Field Estimate Official Estimate Bangladesh n/a 300-500 Bhutan 50 115-150 Burma n/a 85 Cambodia 0 10-30 China <7 20 India 1,706 2,226 Laos 2 17 Malaysia 300 250-340 Nepal 198 198 North Korea n/a n/a Russia n/a 360 Thailand 221 189-252 Vietnam <5 <10 Source: International Union for Conservation of Nature. In July 2013, President Barack Obama issued Executive Order (E.O.) 13648 on combating wildlife trafficking. It .............................. . ............................... ................................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...................:::::::::::::.. . .O 'T gognpo 'popmm- , goo g , q 'S a X 11LULANJILiN,

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