Tusk force: Carving out a better future for elephants in the fight against wildlife trafficking
Judith Garber says the global focus on World Wildlife Day this year on elephant protection is timely, as the US and China – including Hong Kong, a major transit point for the sale of ivory – press ahead to end the bloody trade
Across the globe, elephants have inspired the imagination of young and old but, in recent years, these animals have been decimated by an unprecedented onslaught of poaching. A recent study indicates that, in central Africa, the forest elephant population is down over 62 per cent from the 2002 level and is shrinking by 9 per cent each year. The very survival of the species is now at stake.
The potential for profit is more than enough incentive for unscrupulous people to kill endangered animals, traffic their body parts across the world, and subvert laws to sell to unwitting consumers
The overriding cause of this slaughter is the demand for ivory. Unfortunately, even legal ivory trade related to antiques has contributed to the problem, as old and new tusks are not easily distinguished. The potential for profit is more than enough incentive for unscrupulous people to kill endangered animals, traffic their body parts across the world, and subvert laws in order to sell to unwitting consumers.
Wildlife trafficking has evolved into a transnational criminal enterprise, with annual revenues conservatively estimated at between US$8 billion and US$10 billion. It is both a critical conservation issue and an acute security threat. Species are nearing the tipping point of extinction, and illegal wildlife trade is becoming increasingly intertwined with gunrunning, the drug trade and human trafficking.
READ MORE: The illegal ivory trade: Hong Kong moves centre stage in seeking to beat the business
As one of the biggest markets for illegal wildlife goods, the US bears a major responsibility in ending this crisis. Recognising this, in 2013, President Barack Obama created a task force to combat wildlife trafficking. It seeks to strengthen law enforcement against traffickers; enhance international cooperation so we have a stronger net to catch these criminals and broader support for community-based conservation; and, eliminate fundamental demand for the goods.