Last month the Ivory
and Rhinoceros Enforcement Task Force of
the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
(CITES) met in the headquarters
of the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) in Nairobi to discuss urgent action
against organized crime targeting the world's
two largest pachyderms: the elephant and
the rhino.
The meeting was attended
by 20 top law enforcement officers representing
wildlife authorities, Customs, investigations,
national parks, the police and enforcement
agencies in 12 countries (China, Ethiopia,
Kenya, Mozambique, Nepal, the Philippines,
South Africa, Thailand, the United Kingdom,
the United Republic of Tanzania, Viet Nam
and Zimbabwe). The Task Force also considered
intelligence supplied by Australia, Canada
and the United States.
Four of the five organizations
of the recently-formed International Consortium
on Combating Wildlife Crime (a partnership
between CITES, INTERPOL, the United Nations
Office on Drugs and Crime, the World Bank
and the World Customs Organization) were
also present at the meeting and offered
their support to national agencies in their
battle against organized crime groups and
networks. A representative of the Lusaka
Agreement dealing with regional enforcement
issues in East Africa also attended.
Despite considerable
successes on the part of the law enforcement
community, the smuggling of elephant ivory
continues to occur at significant levels
and those behind the illegal trade do not
appear to be deterred by the regular losses
they are suffering at the hands of border
control agencies. For example, in 2009 alone,
Customs agencies intercepted over 25 tonnes
of ivory being smuggled from Africa to Asia.
As recently as last week, officials in Kenya
seized over one tonne of ivory that was
about to be smuggled out of the country.
The status of some populations
of rhinoceros species seems bleak. For instance,
South Africa has seen dramatic increases
in rhino poaching in recent years: 13 rhinos
poached in 2007, 83 in 2008, 122 in 2009,
330 in 2010 and already 159 illegally killed
in the first four months of 2011. This level
of poaching is putting South Africa's rhino
population, estimated at 21,000 individuals,
under high pressure.
The market dynamics
of the illegal trade in ivory and rhinoceros,
including supply and demand mechanisms leading
to a sharp increase in the black market
price, are not yet fully understood. The
World Bank has offered to provide its expertise
in the fields of combating money-laundering
and asset recovery, which was highly welcomed.
The Task Force learned
of possible new demands for rhino horn,
including within the art and antiques trade,
which will require further investigation.
Elephants are poached for their ivory tusks
that are traditionally carved into decorative
items that consumers are willing to pay
high prices for in emerging economies. This
demand appears to have increased in recent
years due to a growing affluence among some
parts of society in East Asia. The poaching
of rhinoceros, on the other hand, has been
regarded as primarily due to a demand for
its use as a traditional medicinal product
and a recently-emerging rumour that it may
be an effective treatment for cancer.
Participants agreed
that greater communication, collaboration
and coordination are needed at national
and international levels and they committed
to increasing exchanges of information.
In particular, data will be regularly exchanged
regarding persons who travel to countries,
such as South Africa, to engage in purportedly
legal hunting but whose actual intention
is to obtain animal body parts that can
be sold on the black market.
The Task Force members
agreed that enforcement agencies should
be encouraged to delay releasing news of
significant seizures until information has
been provided to relevant counterparts in
countries of origin and destination as well
as to international enforcement bodies.
This would enable action to be taken against
those along the 'chain' of criminal activity,
instead of providing them with early warning
and an opportunity to cover their tracks.
The Task Force encouraged the media to support
enforcement agencies in this regard and
to appreciate why the issuance of press
releases relating to seizures may be delayed
in future.
John Scanlon, Secretary-General
of CITES, said: "The CITES Secretariat
has issued several Alerts and intelligence
briefings to national and international
law enforcement agencies in recent years.
These have contained information to enable
them to improve their risk-assessments,
targeting and profiling in relation to illegal
trade in elephant ivory and rhinoceros horn.
Last week's Task Force meeting has enabled
us to acquire the most up-to-date overview
of what is happening and we will soon prepare
and circulate fresh briefings. It has also
confirmed suspicions we held regarding new
'markets' or consumption areas in relation
to rhinoceros horn."
John Sellar, CITES Chief
Enforcement Officer, declared: "Understandably,
we cannot provide full details of the Task
Force discussions but it is clear that the
illicit activities are directed by organized
crime groups that care for nothing but profit.
They are regularly exploiting impoverished
persons who live in the areas inhabited
by elephants and rhinoceroses and are, quite
literally, sending some of the poachers
to their deaths. In southern Africa this
year, 14 poachers, equipped with automatic
weapons and high-calibre firearms, have
been killed during encounters with park
rangers."
David Higgins, INTERPOL's
Environmental Crime Manager, who participated
in the meeting, said: "The illegal
trade in wildlife can have a significant
effect on a nation's economy and security.
In the case of ivory and rhinoceros horn
illicit trafficking, where heavily armed
poaching gangs and international organized
criminal networks are involved, illegal
activities reduce tourism revenue, may place
the individual tourist in danger, damage
the balance of biodiversity and ultimately
erode the rule of law."
Mr. Higgins added that:
"To combat this illegal trade, there
is an urgent need for well-built and well-designed
strategies at the local, national and international
levels, and at the frontline of this there
must be effective criminal intelligence
management, exchange and analysis."
The CITES Secretariat
was able to convene the Task Force meeting
with funding support from the European Commission.
