The COVID-19 pandemic has cast a harsh light on global commerce in wildlife. But many accounts focus on demand from Asia, ignoring the role of US and European consumers.
Burning confiscated elephant ivory and animal horns in Myanmar’s first public display of action against the illegal wildlife trade, Oct. 4, 2018.
Ye Aung Thu/AFP via Getty Images
In the 1800s, Americans hunted many wild species near or into extinction. Then in the early 1900s, the US shifted from uncontrolled consumption of wildlife to conservation. Could Asia follow suit?
Wildlife markets, where live animals are sold and slaughtered, are an integral part of the global wildlife trade.
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Ecological systems are at breaking point and a global economic collapse is under way. It’s time to invest in risk mitigation to prevent another COVID-type disaster.
If wildlife trade is forced underground it could become an even bigger threat to public health, fuel black market prices, and accelerate exploitation and extinction of species in the wild.
Government officers seize civets in a wildlife market in Guangzhou, China to prevent the spread of SARS in 2004.
Dustin Shum/South China Morning Post via Getty Images
Wild animals and animal parts are bought and sold worldwide, often illegally. This multibillion-dollar industry is pushing species to extinction, fueling crime and spreading disease.
Barbary macaque and its trainer in Marrakesh square (Jemaa El Fnaa), Morocco.
Ilias Kouroudis/Shutterstock
Keeping non-native reptiles as pets is against the law – with good reason. Alien species traded on the black market can potentially establish themselves in the wild if they are released or escape.
The fate of elephants ultimately lies in the hands of humans and a continued ban will not solve the poaching problem.
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The ivory trade is a very contentious issue and will be debated at CITES. It will revolve around maintaining or lifting the ban on trade. But the human element is likely to be ignored.
The endangered ‘fishing cat’ is known to scientists as Prionailurus viverrinus, but is Felis viverrinus in Chinese wildlife law.
Gemma Simpson / shutterstock
Ross Harvey, South African Institute of International Affairs
The focus of CITES is not solely on the protection of species. It also promotes controlled trade that is not detrimental to the sustainability of wild species.
Cheetahs have experienced severe range contractions, their numbers declining markedly in many protected areas.
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The amount of ivory on sale in Vietnam has increased by more than 600% in the past eight years. As China has taken a tougher stance on the ivory trade, sales in Vietnam have increased.
Global Head of Wildlife Research, World Animal Protection, and Visiting Researcher, Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU), University of Oxford