Illegal wildlife trade

Avaaz Foundation has investigated illegal trade of engendered species in one of the largest social media platform, Facebook

• In 2018, Facebook has funded the coalition to end wildlife trafficking with expert organization like WWF, which set out to reduce the illegal trade by 80% by 2020.
• Despite of the coalition Facebook remained a global platform which has been used as global market place for illegal trading of wild life
• Illegal wildlife trafficking is the fourth largest illicit transactional crime of the world.
• India has seen 522 unique cases of poaching during the pandemic year
• Around $7 billion to $23 billion revenue is being generated through this illicit transaction in India.

What is wildlife crime?

• According to International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC),wildlife crime refers to acts committed contrary to national laws and regulations intended to protect natural resources and to administer their management and use.
  • This includes the illicit exploitation of natural resources, such as poaching of animals and unauthorized logging of trees.
  • It may also include subsequent acts, such as the processing of fauna and flora into products, their transportation, sale and possession.
• Wildlife offenders can be divided into two groups –
  • The poachers or hunterswho kill or capture wild animals or collect wild plants
  • Persons trading, buying hunted and/or captured animals or its body parts or derivatives or collected plants or its parts or derivatives, for own consumption or for sale.
• Major wildlife crime in India includes poaching of tigers, rhinos and the sale of Star tortoises.

What is the situation of illegal trafficking of wildlife species in India?

• According to Media-Reported Wildlife Poaching and Illegal Trade in India 2020,
  • Illegal trading has reorganized itself as one of the transaction crime in India also. It was believed to have billions of dollars of turnover every year around $7-23 billion dollar.
  • There are several incidents which have been tracked in India related to endangered species and ungulates like, deer, antelope etc.
• Global Database of Events, Language, and Tone, found 522 unique instances of poaching during 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2020.
• The wildlife trading has increased during the pandemic as compared to pre pandemic level.

• Lack of adequate legislation to prohibit illegal trading
• Transferring of Illegal trade items into legal markets
• Offering a huge amount of money
• Undocumented species being lawfully traded
• Diverse demand and usage 

• Species extinction
• Overexploitation of wildlife resources
• Threat to genetic variation of species
• Illegal trade creates social insecurity
• Risk of transmission of zoonotic diseases like coronavirus, Ebola, HIV etc.

• Superstition beliefs: religious and superstition beliefs always played a central role in animal hunting and Animal cruelty
• Increased income gap and social security gap: Due to pandemic several individuals lost their jobs to fulfill their basic necessities the demand for poaching and cruelty got boost up.

• Legal frameworks:
  • Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
  • Environment Protection Act, 1986
  • The Biological Diversity Act, 2002
• Constitutional amendments:
  • 42^nd Constitutional Amendment Act: Transferred the subject ‘Forrest and Protection of Wild Animals and Birds from State list to concurrent list.
  • Article 51A (g): Introduced by 42^nd constitutional Amendment act as a Fundamental duty of the citizen to protect and improve the natural environment including forests and wildlife.
  • Article 48A: Directs the state to preserve and conserve the environment.
• Some species specific programs:
  • Operation Save Kurma: To protect Turtle and tortoise
  • Operation Turtle shield: for Turtle
  • Operation lesknow: Tp prevent trading of lesser known species of wildlife.
  • Operation Clear Art: For mongoose Protection
  • Operation Birbil: Wild cat and bird species
  • Operation Softgold: To prevent trading of Shatoosh Shawl
  • Operation Wildnet: Track the wildlife trade through internet through social media
  • Operation Freefly: trading of birds.
  • Operation etmark: Prohibition of sale of meat of animals in wet markets.

Despite of such international and domestic conservation effort it’s the political will of the government and the governance which decides the final destination the objectives. The social security structure and social gap among the people induced by the pandemic has impact not only humans but also the wildlife in various ways. The government’s policy should focus on prevention of illegal trade and a controlled legal trade of such species. Along with these efforts government should also ensure prevent the societal induced demand of such illicit transactions.