The Escalating International Wildlife Trafficking Crisis: Ecological, Economic and National Security Issues

The crisis is characterized by the brutal capture and culling of wildlife, which triggers a host of additional problems, including the funding of terrorist networks and militias, harm to local inhabitants, disruption of livelihoods and local economies, and the threat to the rule of law. Poaching also threatens tourism, a major source of economic growth in developing countries such as Tanzania and Botswana. The broad destabilizing effects of wildlife trafficking create incentives for corruption, discourage foreign investment, and disrupt ecosystems with far-reaching consequences. In some regions, the growth in demand for wildlife products has fueled a poaching rate that has completely overwhelmed previously secure areas. For example, forest elephant populations in Central Africa declined by 62 percent between 2002 and 2011, and relentless poaching in South Africa's Kruger National Park is threatening the world's largest white rhino population. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has a long-standing commitment to conserve and protect wildlife, reflecting the United States' deep and abiding conservation tradition. USAID has tripled its support to address the wildlife trafficking crisis over the past two years, investing an estimated $40 million this year to develop innovative solutions in anti-poaching, community conservation, and the reduction of consumer demand for trafficked products. USAID's wildlife trafficking efforts are underway within the context of the Administration's National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking. The National Strategy establishes guiding principles and priorities for U.S. efforts to stem the illegal trade in wildlife via enhanced interagency cooperation and coordination. USAID's vision is to adapt and deploy a range of development tools and interventions to significantly reduce illegal wildlife trafficking. Historically, USAID's anti-poaching work has focused on community-based conservation. A particularly successful effort was with USAID's Namibian partners, where a $40 million investment over 15 years established community "conservancies" where local people were given the rights to manage and benefit from their natural resources. As a result of this transformational program, community opinion changed in favor of wildlife, and wildlife populations increased along with the economic benefits to communities. Similar success has been seen in Nepal, where in 2013 no tigers, elephants, or rhinos were poached, due in part to 20 years of USAID support to communities to manage their forests. USAID will nearly double direct funding to combat wildlife trafficking to an estimated annual $40 million, up from over $20 million in the previous fiscal year. The agency will focus on wildlife trafficking hotspots in source, transit, and demand countries that have made a political commitment to address the issue. To achieve these goals, USAID will concentrate the majority of FY14 funding in Africa, the center of the elephant and rhino poaching crisis, followed by Asia, where both consumer demand and poaching continue to rise. The agency will analyze country-level factors affecting and being affected by illicit trade, and undertake a suite of support activities, including helping communities manage wildlife, providing training and equipment to park rangers, and working with national governments to develop new wildlife policies. USAID supports activities that help shut down illicit markets, including reducing consumer demand for wildlife products. A monitoring report from USAID's partner International Fund for Animal Welfare led to a crackdown by the Chinese State Forestry Police on websites and antique markets in China, resulting in the disruption of 13 criminal gangs, the arrest or fine of over 1,000 illegal traders, and the seizure of over 130,000 wild animals and 2,000 animal products.