Species conservation

Snow leopard poaching and trafficking – referred to herein as snow leopard crime – is revisited 13 years after TRAFFIC’s first report on the subject, Fading Footprints: The Killing and Trade of Snow Leopards. This report builds on a preliminary analysis published in May 2016 (Maheshwari and von Meibom, 2016).

The Mala (Lagorchestes hirsutus) is a little known but charismatic wallaby, rescued from imminent extinction in the 1980s when the last 22 animals were secured in predator-proof enclosures. The last mainland wild population perished in a wild fire in 1991. Mala numbers remain critically low, dispersed among six predator-free sites, isolated from each other and located in three different States and Territories.

Pangolins are the most heavily trafficked mammal in the world. This report explores Lao PDR’s role in the illegal pangolin trade and discusses the findings of two market surveys, conducted in several locations as well as the outcomes of an analysis of pangolin seizures that involved Lao PDR as either an origin, transit, seizure or destination country between 2010 and 2015.

Predicting climate change impacts on biodiversity is a major scientific challenge. A range of methods have been developed for climate change vulnerability assessment (CCVA) of species and a large and burgeoning scientific literature is emerging on this subject. Our motivation for preparing this document is to ease the challenge that conservation practitioners face in interpreting and using the complex and often inconsistent CCVA literature.