The Evolving Threat of Wildlife Trafficking

The illicit trade of wildlife is a growing security threat that requires a forceful response from the international community.
Over the past decade, illicit wildlife trafficking has transformed from solely an environmental issue to one that also undermines the political and economic security of countries in Southeast Asia and Africa. Wildlife trafficking is believed to be the third most profitable illicit trade in the world, after drugs and weapons. Emerging market countries in Southeast Asia and Africa are projected to experience drastic economic growth and political changes in the coming years. Consequently, corruption involving wildlife trafficking will hinder the formation of legitimate and transparent political institutions. African governments already suffering from a lack of political legitimacy and wildlife trafficking will experience further political corruption, economic inefficiency, as well as the growth of criminal elements in society. It is essential that policymakers reevaluate the institutions and laws that are geared towards addressing wildlife trafficking.Poaching in African countries has nearly quadrupled in the past decade. According to findings provided by Vietnamese police, rhino horns can fetch up to $65,000 per kilogram on the black market, which is higher than the price of gold. Recently, a shipping container bound for China was found to contain a 6-ton cache of elephant ivory, a collection estimated to be worth $12 million. Likewise, the demand for exotic animals, pelts taken from wild cats, and snakeskins continues to rise among producers of luxury goods and private collectors. Trade between African and Southeast Asian countries has increased and will continue to do so as the middle-class expands and disposable incomes rise along with it. While wildlife trafficking started as small operations involving a few individual poachers, it has evolved into a highly sophisticated enterprise involving organized crime syndicates and complicit government officials.There are considerable institutional impediments to prosecuting offenders. Unlike drug and human trafficking activities, the penalties for trafficking wildlife are negligible. Monetary fines are insignificant compared to the lucrative payoffs offered on the black market. Anti-poaching initiatives are ineffective because customs officers can accept bribes without a fear of exposure. Prison sentences are rare, and the few traffickers who receive them often bribe officials to avoid incarceration.The case of Anson Wong reveals these institutional deficiencies. Wong, a high-profile trafficker dubbed the “Lizard King,” was arrested in 2010 for attempting to smuggle a suitcase full of snakes through a Malaysian airport. He was initially sentenced to 5 years in prison, but served only 17 months after a successful appeal; he also managed to have his fine of $58,000 reduced to $3,000. Evidently, Wong is known to maintain close ties with various Malaysian bureaucrats. This was made apparent when the Malaysian court considered him a “first offender,” despite the fact that he had served time in U.S. and Mexican prisons for wildlife trafficking.One alarming concern is the growing link between animal poaching and terrorist groups in Africa. Joseph Kony, of the Lord’s Resistance Army, has been known to engage in poaching while Al-Shahaab, a Somalia-based cell of Al-Qaeda, is believed to make anywhere from $200,000 to $600,000 per month by trading ivory. While both terrorist groups and African rebel militias have long engaged in poaching, the sheer increase in activity during the last few years has forced policymakers to address the issue. In his report to the UN Security Council, Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon wrote that, “Poaching and its potential linkages to other criminal, even terrorist, activities constitute a grave menace to sustainable peace and security in Central Africa.” INTERPOL recently held a multilateral conference to discuss collaborative training exercises and intelligence sharing. In June, President Obama signed an Executive Order that enables the State Department and USAID to provide enforcement training, legislative guidance, and financial support to countries dealing with wildlife trafficking.While stronger enforcement and intelligence sharing will lead to more arrests, policymakers must understand that this is only part of the solution. Given the low-risk, high-reward nature of wildlife trafficking, countries must couple heightened enforcement with legislation that significantly raises the penalties for perpetrators. Finally, the role of consumer demand cannot be ignored. Countries must pursue a pragmatic solution based on regulation of the trade in order to reduce the role of the black market. While many may consider this a moral compromise, history has shown that prohibition is an ineffective policy. Governments must work with NGOs and major consumers, such as luxury fashion houses, to shape effective regulatory institutions and develop methods of harvesting that are environmentally responsible. Establishing a legitimate market for wildlife-derived goods will improve security by depriving terrorist groups of a lucrative source of funding, and by providing Southeast Asian and African countries with a renewable source of capital that can be used towards supplying much-needed public investment and goods.

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