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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
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12 results foundAuthor: Ayling, Julie Title: What Sustains Wildlife Crime? Rhino Horn Trading and the Resilience of Criminal Networks Summary: The problem of illegal trading in wildlife is a long-standing one. Humans have always regarded other sentient and non-sentient species as resources and tradeable commodities, frequently resulting in negative effects for biodiversity. However, the illegal trade in wildlife is increasingly meeting with resistance from states and the international community in the form of law enforcement and regulatory initiatives. So why does it persist? What makes the criminal networks involved in it resilient? In this paper I consider the networks involved in the illegal trade in rhinoceros horn that is currently posing an existential threat to most rhino species. The paper considers possible sources of these networks' resilience, both internal and external, and the implications for how the trade could be tackled. Details: Canberra, Australia: Australian National University, 2012. 22P. Source: Transnational Environmental Crime Project, Working Paper 2/2012: Internet Resource: Accessed November 3, 2012 at http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2152776 Year: 2012 Country: International URL: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2152776 Shelf Number: 126857 Keywords: Animal PoachingCorruptionCriminal NetworksIllegal TradeIvoryOrganized CrimeRhinosTransnational CrimeWildlife CrimeWildlife Trade |
Author: Patel, Tricia Title: War Against Poaching in Africa: Learning from our mistakes Summary: The African elephant and rhino have long struggled to maintain their populations, which saw a devastating decline during the 1980s. With commercial poaching running rampant, the eye of the international community fell upon the lack of conservation policies implemented in African nations. Elephants and rhinos became icons of the conservation movement and more significantly, the keystones of Africa’s wildlife safari industry. As a result of declining populations, trade in both animals was regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES). Despite the value they have to conservationists in the West, the reality is very different for those living next door to these animal populations. Southern African countries have fought hard against a total ban on trade in ivory, for it has the potential to generate much-needed revenue and fund conservation programs. Opponents fear resurgence in commercial poaching for ivory and vehemently resist any relaxation of the ivory ban and their concerns are well founded. Where elephant populations have stabilized, the black rhino has not been so lucky. As a result, non-governmental organizations have tried to implement conservation programs to combat tourism. However, a distinction is rarely made between subsistence poachers who hunt for food and commercial poachers who hunt for economic gain. Additionally, local communities are often misunderstood and portrayed as the enemies of wildlife, but commercial poachers pose a greater threat to wildlife. With the elephant and rhino populations continually being devastated by poaching, some governments have taken extreme anti-poaching measures, even if they come at the cost of fundamental human rights. This paper serves to analyze the differences between subsistence and commercial poaching in the context of African elephant and rhino populations, as well as evaluate previous conservation methods taken with respect to both forms of poaching. First, a history of CITES is provided, along with the relevant regulations that have governed and continue to govern both, the elephant and rhino. Then a comparison of subsistence poaching (including trade in bushmeat), and commercial poaching is discussed, as well as the motivating factors behind both. Additionally, previous conservation methods and anti-poaching strategies are evaluated against recent proposals and subsequent legal repercussions are suggested. It is important to understand the lack of international consensus regarding the elephant and rhino and CITES regulations so that the diverging interests may be better understood. Furthermore, it is necessary to understand the extreme measures that have previously been taken by governments and conservation organizations, so that the same mistakes are not made again. Details: Unpublished Paper, 2010. 39p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 28, 2012 at: http://www.elizabethburleson.com/Poaching%20in%20Africa%20by%20Tricia%20Patel.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Africa URL: http://www.elizabethburleson.com/Poaching%20in%20Africa%20by%20Tricia%20Patel.pdf Shelf Number: 127017 Keywords: Animal Poaching (Africa)BushmeatElephantsIllegal IvoryRhinosWildlife ConservationWildlife Crime |
Author: Lindsey, Peter A. Title: A Study on the Dehorning of African Rhinoceroses as a Tool to Reduce the Risk of Poaching Summary: South Africa has experienced a massive surge in rhino poaching during the last three years. In response, the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs convened a National Rhino Summit, in October 2010 to provide an opportunity for government and the industry to discuss the key interventions relating to rhino poaching, to identify additional initiatives and actions required to address the challenges, to harness further political and broader stakeholder commitment and to launch a strategy to address poaching. Based on the outcomes of the summit, the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) commissioned a dehorning impact assessment, to determine whether dehorning is an option in terms of securing rhino populations; a feasibility study to determine the viability of legalising trade in rhino horn in South Africa; and a global market research assessment to enable the Department and stakeholders to make informed decisions relating to key tools that could be used to reduce the threat to rhino populations from poaching. Rhino dehorning has been used historically as a tool to reduce the threat of poaching in parts of southern Africa, and continues to be employed on a large-scale in Zimbabwe. Dehorning is contentious due to uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of the method at reducing poaching, and due to potential veterinary impacts and adverse effects on the behavioural ecology of rhinos. This report is the product of the study on rhino dehorning and was conducted on behalf of DEA by the Endangered Wildlife Trust. The aim of the report is to provide clarity on the impacts and efficacy of dehorning and to identify the circumstances under which the intervention is most likely to be effective at reducing poaching. Key findings of the study are summarized below. Details: Pretoria: Department of Environmental Affairs, Republic of South Africa, 2011. 70p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed Dec. 1, 2012 at: http://www.environment.gov.za/sites/default/files/docs/studyon_dehorning_african_rhinoceros.pdf Year: 2011 Country: South Africa URL: http://www.environment.gov.za/sites/default/files/docs/studyon_dehorning_african_rhinoceros.pdf Shelf Number: 127041 Keywords: Animal Poaching (South Africa)DehorningIvoryRhinosWildlife Crime |
Author: Lockwood, Caroline Title: Analysis of Rhino Poaching in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa Summary: South Africa has a proud history of rhino conservation with significant proportions of Africa’s rhino populations protected and managed within staterun and privately owned properties. South Africa is experiencing unprecedented rhino poaching, in terms of both total rhino deaths and the level of sophistication employed by the poachers. While the total rhino harvest rates (trophy hunting and poaching) are not yet considered unsustainable to the overall South African rhino populations, the rate at which the poaching is increasing and the involvement of organised criminals (national and international) is a major concern. The aim of this study is to investigate which spatial and temporal variables or combination of, best explain the distribution of rhino poaching patterns in KZN South Africa, along with an exploration of local rhino property managers and owners attitudes regarding poaching and rhino protection costs. The results of the Generalised Linear Model revealed the State Management, Housing Density, Presence of a Road Through a Property as the best‐fit model, although the highly correlated relationships between Management, Area, Roads and Rhino Population Density could be masking the true effect, and further research at a finer scale would be required. The qualitative analysis of landowner and reserve manager attitudes and opinions yielded a wide variety of issues that are all worthy of further discussion and investigation. Details: London: Imperial College of London, 2010. 78p. Source: Thesis: Internet Resource: Accessed December 16, 2012 at http://www.iccs.org.uk/wp-content/thesis/consci/2011/Lockwood.pdf Year: 2010 Country: South Africa URL: http://www.iccs.org.uk/wp-content/thesis/consci/2011/Lockwood.pdf Shelf Number: 127218 Keywords: Animal Poaching (South Africa)RhinosWildlife Crime |
Author: Animal Rights Africa Title: Under Siege: Rhinoceroses in South Africa Summary: Trophy hunting in the 19th century devastated rhinoceros populations in Africa. By the 1920s there were fewer than a hundred of the southern white rhinoceroses left in the Umfolozi region in KwaZulu-Natal. Preservation, overt protection and habitat and range expansion strategies led to the growth in the number of rhinoceroses in South Africa and brought them back from the brink of extinction. An important component of these strategies was the prohibition of hunting. There is now a completely different situation at play, where the hunting, poaching and trade of rhinoceroses, both illegal and legal, are once again not only severely impacting on the species but also causing untold suffering and death for the individuals involved. Rhinoceros poaching has reached a 15-year high in Africa and Asia and there are therefore justifiable concerns about the current protection and management of these animals in South Africa as well as the need for public discourse and involvement. South Africa is currently entrusted with over 90% of the world’s population of white rhinoceroses, but at the same time it has become abundantly clear that not only are rhinoceroses in South Africa facing one of their worst threats ever as a species, but they are literally under siege. According to the Department of Environment rhinoceroses poaching in South Africa has reached the highest levels in decades. In the short space of 19 months, poaching of rhinoceroses in South Africa has accelerated to a rate almost six times higher than that of the previous eight years and at the same time a report by international conservation bodies claims the country has become the conduit of most of the rhinoceros horns leaving the African continent. The threats rhinoceroses are facing are linked to South Africa’s current uncompassionate conservation policies of overt consumptive use and trade and inadequate policing, enforcement measures and resources to protect rhinoceroses. And as with elephants the trade, sale and hunting of rhinoceroses in South Africa is driven by commodification, commercialisation and profit rather than by compassion or robust science. Details: Animal Rights Africa, 2009. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 5, 2013 at: http://www.rhinoresourcecenter.com/pdf_files/125/1255419687.pdf Year: 2009 Country: Africa URL: http://www.rhinoresourcecenter.com/pdf_files/125/1255419687.pdf Shelf Number: 127517 Keywords: Animal Poaching (Africa)Illegal HuntingIllegal Wildlife TradeRhinocerosRhinosWildlife Crimes |
Author: Milliken, Tom Title: Illegal Trade in Ivory and Rhino Horn: As Assessment to Improve Law Enforcement Under the Wildlife TRAPS Project Summary: Illegal rhino horn trade has reached the highest levels since the early 1990s, and illegal trade in ivory increased by nearly 300 percent from 1998 to 2011, according to a new report by U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) partner TRAFFIC. The report, Illegal trade in ivory and rhino horn: an assessment to improve law enforcement, is a key step to achieving USAID's vision to adapt and deploy a range of development tools and interventions to significantly reduce illegal wildlife trafficking. The report was prepared by the wildlife monitoring network TRAFFIC in partnership with USAID. The assessment uses robust analysis to identify capacity gaps and key intervention points in countries combating wildlife trafficking. Seizure data indicate that "the fundamental trade dynamic now lies between Africa and Asia," according to the report. In China and Thailand, elephant ivory is fashioned into jewelry and carved into other decorative items, while wealthy consumers in Vietnam use rhino horn as a drug which they mistakenly believe cure hangovers and detoxify the body. Rhinos and elephants are under serious poaching pressure throughout Africa, with even previously safe populations collapsing: Central Africa's forest elephants have been reduced by an estimated 76 percent over the past 12 years while in Tanzania's Selous Game Reserve, elephant numbers have fallen from 70,000 in 2007 to only 13,000 by late 2013. A record 1004 rhinos were poached in 2013 in South Africa alone - a stark contrast to the 13 animals poached there in 2007 before the latest crisis began. Record quantities of ivory were seized worldwide between 2011 and 2013, with an alarming increase in the frequency of large-scale ivory seizures (500 kg or more) since 2000. Preliminary data already show more large-scale ivory seizures in 2013 than in the previous 25 years. Although incomplete, 2013 raw data already represent the greatest quantity of ivory in these seizures in more than 25 years. Both rhino horn and ivory trafficking are believed to function as Asian-run, African-based operations, with the syndicates increasingly relying on sophisticated technology to run their operations. In order to disrupt and apprehend the individuals behind them, the global response needs to be equally sophisticated. "There's no single solution to addressing the poaching crisis in Africa, and while the criminals master-minding and profiting from the trafficking have gotten smarter, so too must enforcement agencies, who need to improve collaborative efforts in order to disrupt the criminal syndicates involved in this illicit trade," says Nick Ahlers, the leader of the Wildlife TRAPS Project. Rhino horn is often smuggled by air, using international airports as transit points between source countries in Africa and demand countries in Asia. Since 2009, the majority of ivory shipments have involved African seaports, increasingly coming out of East Africa. As fewer than 5 percent of export containers are examined in seaports, wildlife law enforcement relies greatly on gathering and acting on intelligence to detect illegal ivory shipments. The report recommends further developing coordinated, specialized intelligence units to disrupt organized criminal networks by identifying key individuals and financial flows and making more high level arrests. Also critically important are improved training, law enforcement technology, and monitoring judiciary processes at key locations in Africa and Asia. Details: Cambridge, UK; TRAFFIC International; Washington, DC: USAID, 2014. 30p. Source: Internet Resource: A Traffic Report: Accessed September 27, 2014 at: http://www.traffic.org/storage/W-TRAPS-Elephant-Rhino-report.pdf Year: 2014 Country: International URL: http://www.traffic.org/storage/W-TRAPS-Elephant-Rhino-report.pdf Shelf Number: 133456 Keywords: Animal PoachingCriminal NetworksIllegal TradeIvoryRhinosSmugglingWildlife CrimeWildlife Law EnforcementWildlife Trafficking |
Author: Rademeyer, Julian Title: Tipping Point: Transnational organised crime and the 'war' on poaching Summary: More than six thousand rhinos have fallen to poachers' bullets in Africa over the past decade. Dozens more have been shot in so-called "pseudo-hunts" in South Africa. Across Europe, castles and museums have been raided by criminal gangs in search of rhino horn trophies. And in the United States, businessmen, antique dealers - even a former rodeo star and a university professor - have been implicated in the illicit trade. Driven by seemingly insatiable demand in Southeast Asia and China, rhino horn has become a black market commodity that rivals the value of gold and platinum. The impact of rampant poaching and deeply entrenched transnational criminal networks over the past decade has been severe. Today there are estimated to be about 25,000 rhino left in Africa, a fraction of the tens of thousands that existed just half-a-century ago. Numbers of white rhinos ( Ceratotherium simum ) have begun to stagnate and decline, with 2015 population figures estimated at between 19,666 and 21,085. While the numbers of more critically endangered black rhino ( Diceros bicornis ) - estimated to number between 5,040 and 5,458 - have increased, population growth rates have fallen. Since 2008, incidents of rhino poaching have increased at a staggering rate. In 2015, 1,342 rhinos were killed for their horns across seven African range states, compared to just 262 in the early stages of the current crisis in 2008. The vast majority of poaching incidents occurred in South Africa, home to about 79% of the continent's last remaining rhinos. The country's Kruger National Park - which contains the world's largest rhino population - has suffered the brunt of the slaughter. While South Africa experienced a marginal dip in poaching figures in 2015 - the first time that the numbers had fallen since 2008 - this was offset by dramatic spikes in poaching in Namibia and Zimbabwe, two key black rhino range states. Namibia, which had experienced little to no poaching from 2006 to 2012 saw Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime Tipping Point: Transnational organised crime and the 'war' on poaching incidents increase from four in 2013 to 30 in 2014 and 90 in 2015. In Zimbabwe, 51 rhinos were killed, up from twenty in 2014. It was the country's worst year on record since 2008, when 164 rhinos were lost to poachers. While Vietnam remains a key destination and transit country, growing numbers of Chinese nationals have been arrested and prosecuted in recent years in Africa, Europe, Asia and the United States for smuggling rhino horn. Research conducted by TRAFFIC has pointed to a thriving online market for rhino horn on Vietnamese and Chinese social media platforms. There is some evidence of divergent markets in Vietnam and China with demand for "raw", unworked rhino horn in the former and carvings, libation cups and fake antiques - commonly referred to as zuo jiu - in the latter. In Vietnam, for instance, a number of artisanal villages are known to produce rhino horn bangles, bracelets, beads and libation cups for Chinese buyers. China has also emerged a significant destination for antique rhino horn carvings that have been auctioned in Europe, the United States and Australia. The killing shows little sign of slowing. Despite the valiant efforts of many law enforcement and government officials, prosecutors and game rangers, the transnational criminal networks trafficking rhino horn are as resilient as ever and - with rare exceptions - impervious to attempts to disrupt their activities. Fragmented law enforcement strategies - often led by environmental agencies with little political power and no mandate to investigate or gather intelligence on organised crime networks - have had little impact on syndicates that operate globally, with tentacles reaching from Africa to Europe, the United States and Asia. Borders, bureaucracy and a tangle of vastly different laws and legal jurisdictions are a boon to transnational criminal networks and a bane to the law enforcement agencies rallied against them. Entities like Interpol, Europol, CITES and the World Customs Organisation are only as good as the government officials in member states who are delegated to work with them. Again and again, their efforts to target syndicates in multiple jurisdictions are hamstrung by corruption, incompetence, governments that are unwilling or incapable of acting, a lack of information-sharing, petty jealousies and approaches to tackling crime that wrongly emphasise arrests and seizures over targeted investigations and convictions as a barometer of success. Details: Geneva, SWIT: Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, 2016. 64p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 15, 2016 at: http://globalinitiative.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Global-Initiative-Tipping-Point-Part1-July-2016.pdf Year: 2016 Country: South Africa URL: http://globalinitiative.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Global-Initiative-Tipping-Point-Part1-July-2016.pdf Shelf Number: 139645 Keywords: Animal PoachingIvoryOrganized CrimeRhinocerosRhinosTrafficking WildlifeWildlife CrimeWildlife Trafficking |
Author: Rademeyer, Julian Title: Beyond Borders: Crime, conservation and criminal networks in the illicit rhino horn trade Summary: The Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime, the WWF and the Geneva Environment Platform organised the Geneva launch of "Beyond borders: Crime, conservation and criminal networks in the illicit rhino horn trade", the second of two reports investigating the illegal trade in rhino horn and law enforcement responses, on 13 July 2016 in the International Environment House. Six thousand rhinos have fallen to poachers' bullets in Africa over the past decade and only about 25,000 remain - a fraction of the tens of thousands that roamed the parts of the continent fifty years ago. Driven by the seemingly insatiable demand in Southeast Asia and China, rhino horn has become a black market commodity rivalling gold and platinum in value. This report, the second of two, is a major investigation into Southern African rhino horn trafficking networks. It focuses on rhino poaching, smuggling and organised crime in Zimbabwe and Mozambique, two source countries for rhino products where legal and law enforcement frameworks to curb rhino poaching are in place, yet poorly implemented. It also investigates the involvement of the diplomatic world in the rhino horn trade including recent revelations of North Korean embassy involvement. Details: Geneva, SWIT: Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, 2016. 44p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 15, 2016 at: http://globalinitiative.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Global-Initiative-Beyond-Borders-Part2-July-2016-1.pdf Year: 2016 Country: South Africa URL: http://globalinitiative.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Global-Initiative-Beyond-Borders-Part2-July-2016-1.pdf Shelf Number: 139646 Keywords: Animal PoachingIvoryOrganized CrimeRhinocerosRhinosTrafficking WildlifeWildlife CrimeWildlife Trafficking |
Author: Bowles, Warren Title: A rights perspective on the global trade in rhino horn Summary: Figures released recently by the South African Department of Environmental Affairs indicate that rhino are being poached in South Africa at an alarmingly high rate, meaning that they are being used like a never-ending commercial resource. It has been debated in South Africa that, if legal trade in rhino horn were to be introduced, it may be a solution to curbing rhino poaching. There are animal rights views that condemn the use and exploitation of nonhuman animals for the financial gain of human beings, one of the foremost rights views being that of Tom Regan. In his view, he proposes ways in which nonhuman animals can be perceived as more than just commercial resources. He elaborates on how nonhuman animals can be regarded as beings in their own right with a unique value that entitles them to respectful treatment and, at the very least, protection from harm and cruel treatment. Analyses and arguments made in this dissertation are not rooted in what the economic consequences of having trade in rhino horn would be. They are rooted in morality and in law to demonstrate why trade should be seen as a solution that is a last resort to curbing rhino poaching. The first chapter of this dissertation concerns itself with unpacking the central tenets and principles of Regans rights view in the context of how nonhuman animals can be regarded as beings rather than resources. The second chapter provides an analysis of approaches in environmental ethics that are relevant for preserving the rhino for future generations and how this could be achieved with reference to Regans rights view. The third chapter deals with the application of Regans rights view to legal and illegal trade in rhino horn. This will also include evaluation of plausible methods for securing rhino horn that are available in the event that legal trade in rhino horn is accepted as a solution to the current rhino poaching situation in South Africa. Details: Johannesburg: University of Johannesburg, 2014. 71p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed July 18, 2016 at: https://ujdigispace.uj.ac.za/handle/10210/10978 Year: 2014 Country: International URL: https://ujdigispace.uj.ac.za/handle/10210/10978 Shelf Number: 139647 Keywords: Illegal Wildlife Trade Ivory RhinosWildlife Crime Wildlife Trade |
Author: Vigne, Lucy Title: Vietnam's Illegal Ivory Trade Threatens Africa's Elephants Summary: - The Vietnamese illegal ivory trade is now one of the largest in the world. - Of all the ivory industries in Asia, Vietnamese carvers have multiplied in number and increased their production of illegal ivory items the most rapidly since 2008. - Tusks are smuggled into Vietnam, nearly all from Africa, with only a few nowadays from domesticated and wild elephants in Laos and Vietnam. - In early 2015 the largest proportion of tusks was seized officially in Haiphong; this changed to Danang in the latter half of 2015. - Wholesale prices for raw tusks in Vietnam were about the same in 2015 as in mainland China, around USD 1,100/kg for a 1-3-kg tusk. - Historically ivory carving was an insignificant art form in Vietnam. - While Vietnamese ivory carvers have increased greatly in number, we did not hear of any foreigners working ivory in Vietnam. - Ivory artisans earn on average USD 260 a month, considerably less than in mainland China. - We talked to ivory carvers in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), in Buon Ma Thuot and in three northern villages who were optimistic about their business. - Legislation prohibiting the ivory trade in Vietnam remains unclear. A loophole in the law allows worked ivory crafted before 1992 to be legally sold in Vietnam, although with the current weak law enforcement, nobody mentioned this to us, nor did hardly any vendor mention to us that exports were illegal. - We saw no posters or other public notices in Vietnam publicizing that the trade in ivory is illegal. - In HCMC, Hanoi, one town and village in the Central Highlands, and two villages in the north we counted 242 open outlets with 16,099 ivory items on display, for retail sale. - Of these items, 9,893 (or 61%) were in one northern village that had not been counted before in a survey. - Nearly all the ivory items for sale in Vietnam are new or recently carved and illegal. - Vietnam has one of the largest number of newly worked illegal ivory items openly offered for retail sale in the world. - Most objects are pendants and other small items, usually jewellery. - There were few ivory antiques, the majority being in HCMC, popular with Chinese customers. - Hardly any expensive ivory items for retail sale were seen. The most expensive new item was a 17-cm human figure for USD 2,500 in HCMC. The most expensive old items were a carved tusk and a large urn for USD 20,000 each in an antique shop in HCMC. - The cheapest ivory item was USD 2 for a thin ring in one northern Vietnam village. - Retail ivory prices for common comparable items were three times more in Beijing and Shanghai than in HCMC and Hanoi and seven times more than in a village selling the most worked ivory seen in Vietnam. This is due to cheaper labour in Vietnam, fewer overheads, and nearly all illegal items for sale that require no expensive paperwork. - There appears to be little law enforcement within Vietnam against the illegal ivory workshops and retail shops, especially in the smaller locations that few Western foreigners visit. - Nearly all the customers we saw shopping for ivory were from mainland China; they particularly like to visit Vietnam's northern villages to buy ivory items, both wholesale and retail, as the prices are considerably lower than elsewhere in the country. - The chances of Chinese being arrested for carrying illegal ivory items crossing the border from Vietnam into China are extremely small due to ineffective law enforcement. - A growing online illegal ivory trade is expanding among Vietnamese and mainland Chinese. - Other elephant products are sold wholesale and retail in Vietnam, especially in the western region nearer to Cambodia and Laos. Products include bones, feet, hairs, meat, molars, skin and tails. - We saw no raw mammoth ivory and only one item for sale: a pendant. - In 2008 a detailed survey of Vietnam counted 2,444 ivory items on view for sale. In 2015 our survey found this number had risen by 6.6 times. A main reason was the expansion of ivory carving and sales in one particular village in the north to meet demand from mainland Chinese, and an increase in ivory items for sale in the Central Highlands area of Buon Ma Thuot to meet demand for the growing number of Asian tourists going there. - While the illegal rhino horn trade in Vietnam has been heavily criticized, its recently booming ivory trade has been largely overlooked due to a lack of information about it. - Corruption and mismanagement in Vietnam have abetted this expanding and flourishing illegal ivory trade, allowing retail displays to remain wide open and enabling smuggling of the many Vietnamese-carved illegal new ivory items into mainland China. Details: Nairobi, Kenya: Save the Elephants, 2016. 88p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 22, 2016 at: http://savetheelephants.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/2016_VietnamReportFINAL_0.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Vietnam URL: http://savetheelephants.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/2016_VietnamReportFINAL_0.pdf Shelf Number: 145603 Keywords: ElephantsIllegal IvoryIllegal TradeIvoryRhinosWildlife Crime |
Author: Smith, Lucy Olivia Title: The Costs of Illegal Wildlife Trade: Elephant and Rhino. A study in the framework of the EFFACE research project Summary: African elephants and rhino are facing an uncertain future, placed at risk in the short term by increasing demands for ivory and rhino horn and in the long term by habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation from expanding human settlements. It is the short term threat of poaching, however, that puts elephant and rhino at immediate risk of extinction in the wild. Since 2007, illegal poaching has risen precipitously year after year to meet the insatiable market demand of mainly Asian consumers. The high value of ivory, and particularly rhino horn, have established these items as lucrative black market commodities, which has led to the trade becoming highly organised and professionalised. Historically, both elephants and rhino became nearly extinct because of unsustainable hunting. The mass slaughter and near elimination of both species during the twentieth century led to concerted rehabilitation missions. In the 1960's an international coordinated effort called "operation rhino" involved the re-population of white rhino to southern Africa using just a few individuals. For elephants, unregulated poaching and hunting led to the introduction of important protection measures in the late 1980s with a 1989 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) ban on commercial trade of ivory and the inclusion of elephants on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List as "vulnerable." Elephant poaching levels are also the highest in over 25 years. Both elephants and rhino are currently listed in Appendix I of CITES meaning that commercial trade in wild-caught specimens is illegal. As a result of these efforts, elephant and rhino populations experienced a decade of low levels of poaching (from 1995 to 2007) that saw their populations begin to rehabilitate. This brief period, however, came to an end in 2007 when poaching levels escalated dramatically and continued to increase on an annual basis. For rhino in particular, the poaching rate over time exhibits the magnitude of growing demand with an average of only fourteen poached rhino individuals per year between 1990 and 2007 increasing to over a thousand in 2014. Poaching for ivory and particularly rhino horn is driven by the high value these products have on the black market. According to the wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC, the street price of Rhino horn is $100,000/kg compared to the price in 1990 which at the time was estimated at $250-500/kg, with a single horn weighing between 1-3kg, depending on the age and species. Thus, the poached value of a rhino individual ranges between $100,000 - $300,000. The price of ivory has tripled in the last three years in China. Uncarved ivory is worth $2,100 per kilo and an elephant on average has 10 kilos per tusk, thus the black market revenue of one poached elephant is approximately $21,000. Demand from consumers is not abating and parallels the purchasing power of Asia's rising middle class which finds rhino and ivory to be symbolic of prestige and wealth. However, what is fundamentally new is the surge in demand of rhino horn from Vietnam stemming from a rumour around 2008 when a Vietnamese politician claimed to be treated for cancer with rhino horn. Contrary to popular belief, rhino horn is not a common ingredient of traditional Chinese medicine and its use now is distinctly a new trend tied to increased wealth and its perceived medicinal qualities. The number of multimillionaires in Vietnam has grown 150% in the last five years. At the same time, cancer rates in Vietnam are increasing 20-30 % annually with an estimated 150,000 new cases each year making for a long waiting list for radiation therapy and lack of capacity to deal with cancer in conventional facilities. Scientifically rhino horn is composed of carotene and is the same chemical composition as a human finger nail, thus making the trade not only unsustainable but scientifically misguided. On the other hand, ivory has been traded throughout history, but demand from Asian countries particularly Vietnam (for rhino horn) over the last decade has led to a resurgence in poaching pushing many African elephant populations towards extinction. Details: Berlin: Ecologic Institute, 2015. 35p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 13, 2016 at: http://efface.eu/sites/default/files/EFFACE%20D3.2c%20-%20Quantitative%20and%20monetary%20analysis%20of%20Elephant%20and%20Rhino%20hunting.pdf Year: 2015 Country: International URL: http://efface.eu/sites/default/files/EFFACE%20D3.2c%20-%20Quantitative%20and%20monetary%20analysis%20of%20Elephant%20and%20Rhino%20hunting.pdf Shelf Number: 145536 Keywords: Animal PoachingElephantsIllegal Wildlife TradeIvoryRhinosWildlife Crime |
Author: Aucoin, Ciara Title: Tackling supply and demand in the rhino horn trade Summary: The majority of responses to the growing illegal trade in rhino horn aim to curb supply through frontline enforcement and security in parks and reserves in Southern Africa, particularly South Africa. They include recent advances in legalising the trade. Far less effort has been made to involve local communities in anti-poaching efforts or reduce the appetite for rhino horn in East Asia. This policy brief reviews available information on supply and demand in rhino horn markets, analysing the main responses and their impacts. It advocates greater policy coherence in supply-side measures and more regional and international cooperation in demand-side campaigns. Key points - Responses to the illicit trade in rhino horn have mainly focused on the supply side. The burden of implementing security measures cannot only fall on the under-resourced departments responsible for maintaining national parks. - Improving the protection of rhinos is necessary, but not sufficient. Community-led activities that are well coordinated and funded are needed to ensure local people become key stakeholders in rhino conservation. - Policy focus on curbing the demand for rhino horn must be increased to balance supply-side policy interventions. This requires more support and resources for research and public awareness campaigns in demand countries. Details: Pretoria: ENACT Project, 2018. 12p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 5, 2018 at: https://enact-africa.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/2018_03_28_PolicyBrief_Wildlife.pdf Year: 2018 Country: South Africa URL: https://enact-africa.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/2018_03_28_PolicyBrief_Wildlife.pdf Shelf Number: 150470 Keywords: Animal PoachingIllegal TradeIvoryRhinoswildlife ConservationWildlife CrimeWildlife Law Enforcement |