21 Dec 2006
- Brussels - The EU, as the top global importer of many
wildlife commodities, including reptile skins, live reptiles,
caviar, live birds and tropical timber has made a renewed
commitment to effective law enforcement to control the
trade in wildlife.
Ministers of Environment from the 25
EU Member States agreed upon a ‘Council Conclusion’ noting
the need for capacity building in developing countries
to conserve wildlife, also adding that such assistance
had to be strategically coordinated from within the EU.
“This high-level commitment provides
the much needed political momentum to develop a strategic
and coordinated response to illegal wildlife trade in
the EU," said Steve Broad, Executive Director of
TRAFFIC.
Throughout the world, hundreds of millions
of plants and animals, worth billions of pounds, are traded
illegally and unsustainably each year, impacting directly
on the survival of many species in their natural environments
and affecting the livelihoods of communities living in
these environments.
This commitment comes ahead of the CITES
Conference - Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Flora and Fauna – to be held in The Netherlands
in June, 2007.
“It is encouraging to see wildlife trade
high on the political agenda. This is a unique opportunity
for the EU to demonstrate its commitment to the environment
and development not only in words, but also in actions,”
said Susan Lieberman, Director of WWF’s Global Species
Programme.
EU Member States are top importers by
value of many wildlife commodities such as caviar, tropical
timber, and reptile skins.
In 2005, the trade in wildlife products
in the EU had an estimated declared import value of over
US$100 billion.
Illegal commerce is threatens not only
the better known species such as tigers and elephants,
but also plants including timber species and fish, including
shark species.
Joanna Benn, Communications Manager,
Global Species Programme
Sabri Zain, Advocacy and Campaigns Director, TRAFFIC International
