Introduction
Animal trafficking and poaching are two illegal methods in which humans capture and often kill exotic animals in return for animal products or the economic status that comes along with owning these animals. The illegal trade in wildlife is estimated to be worth up to USD 20 billion per year. Animal trafficking is in the top five most lucrative global crime enterprises. Wild flora and fauna can be exploited by criminals along the entire supply chain, from poaching and transportation to processing and selling. Other illegal activities are often associated with wildlife crimes, including money laundering, corruption, and document fraud.
Some examples of illegal wildlife trade are well known, such as poaching elephants for ivory and tigers for their skins and bones. However, countless other species are similarly overexploited, from marine turtles to timber trees. Not all wildlife trade is illegal. Wild plants and animals from tens of thousands of species are caught or harvested from the wild and then sold legitimately as food, pets, ornamental plants, leather, tourist ornaments and medicine. Wildlife trade escalates into a crisis when an increasing proportion is illegal and unsustainable—directly threatening the survival of many species in the wild. With Asia being such a large continent, it has an extremely high amount of illegal trafficking. So much that researchers are now looking into Asia’s recent exponential economic growth and whether it is due to the economic increase in animal trafficking which is raking in billions of dollars annually. It has also recently been revealed that Asia has played a huge part in the production and distribution of luxury goods obtained from these exotic animals. Asia is commonly accepted as the centre of animal trafficking and poaching. However, it is not the only continent involved in this trade. North America, or more specifically the USA, has played a huge role as a consumer of animal-based goods.
Enforcement of the CITES rules is a key factor in protecting wildlife. Tackling wildlife crime requires a multi-sector approach. For example, the meetings of the INTERPOL Wildlife Crime Working Group assemble key actors from police, government agencies, international organisations, the transport and financial sectors, academia, and social media companies to review the latest environmental threats, trafficking trends and challenges to tackling the criminal networks behind such crime.