UNODC warns of continued wildlife trafficking

Despite two decades of concerted action, wildlife trafficking persists worldwide with more than 4,000 species affected, said the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Monday. "Wildlife crime inflicts untold harm upon nature, and it also jeopardizes livelihoods, public health, good governance, and our planet's ability to fight climate change," said Ghada Waly, UNODC Executive Director in a report. "To address this crime, we must match the adaptability and agility of the illegal wildlife trade," she added. She also stressed this demands strong, targeted interventions at both the demand and the supply side of the trafficking chain, efforts to reduce criminal incentives and profits, and greater investment in data, analysis, and monitoring capacities. The third edition of the World Wildlife Crime Report examines trends, harms, impacts and drivers of the trafficking of protected wildlife species; evaluates the effectiveness of interventions to combat the trade; and provides policy recommendations. The report no ted that transnational organized crime groups are active in various roles along the trade chain, including export, import, brokering, storage, keeping and breeding live specimens, or handling the interface with processors. Traffickers exploit inconsistencies and weaknesses in regulation and enforcement, adapting their methods and routes continuously to evade detection and prosecution. Source: Kuwait News Agency