Wildlife Poaching and Trafficking in Asia: An Overview
Abstract
Asian demand for illegal wildlife has increased in recent years, raising concerns about species conservation amid heightened poaching rates. As one of several contributing threats to biodiversity, wildlife poaching also raises national security and transnational crime concerns. Crimes related to illegal wildlife reportedly generate billions of dollars each year, a source of funds that may fuel instability and finance armed groups, particularly in Africa. Closer to illicit retail outlets, the markup on wildlife products is most pronounced in Asia, and Asian criminal groups largely control this high profit, low-risk black market - often benefitting from the cooperation of corrupt government officials to facilitate cross-border shipments and protect traffickers. According to the United Nations, environmental crimes represent nearly one-third of the Asia-Pacific black market, conservatively estimated to be worth approximately $86 billion annually. Illegal wildlife, however, represents only a small portion of major environmental crimes in the region (the largest contributor to environmental crimes is illegal trade in wood products).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 15, 2015
- Accession Number
- AD1172125
Entities
People
- Liana W. Rosen
- Pervaze A. Sheikh
Organizations
- Library of Congress