Trade in wildlife

Since 1997, TRAFFIC has been carrying out country surveys of trade in ivory and, in some cases, live elephants. In 2006/2007, TRAFFIC set out to compile existing and new information on the trade in elephants and elephant products in Thailand in consultation with relevant experts and stakeholders, including carvers, traders, retailers and government regulators.

The Oriental Rat Snake Ptyas mucosa has been used in the international skin trade since the early 20th century. Concern over the effects of trade, notably in Indonesia, and a distinct decline in export volumes at the end of the 1980s, led to the listing of the Oriental Rat Snake in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in January 1990.

This report is the third in an annual series on emerging trends in China’s wildlife trade. that aim to highlight wildlife trade trends in threatened and at-risk wildlife, with an emphasis on the impact of China’s trade on globally important biodiversity “hotspots”. These hotspots have a crucial influence on the survival of endangered species, where conservation action to reduce wildlife trade threats can bring about the greatest benefit.

Traditional medicine in Viet Nam comprises two forms - Traditional Vietnamese Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Both are thousands of years old. The use of these traditional medicine systems has seen a significant resurgence since Viet Nam’s independence in 1945, promoted by government policies that have enabled the development of both traditional and western medicines.

This published document consists of two separate reports produced between 2005 and 2007. These reports have been maintained as separate reports in order to maintain their respective integrities as source documents. The first report ‘A Preliminary Investigation into the Use and Trade of Wild Plants and Animals in Traditional Medicine Systems in Cambodia’ by Naomi Walston represents a preliminary examination of the use of Cambodia’s wildlife in Traditional Medicine (TM) systems.

There is growing awareness of the social significance of wild resources, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) making a clear link between biodiversity, ecosystem services and human well-being. There remains, however, much ignorance concerning the role that trade in wild products plays in supporting the livelihoods of poor people and the potential of this trade to contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The implications of unsustainable wild meat exploitation for wildlife management and livelihoods in the refugee hosting areas of north-west Tanzania are rarely acknowledged by all the relevant stakeholders. This study takes a focussed look at wild meat use in refugee situations in north-western Tanzania, associated impacts, driving forces, and the appropriateness of some of the management interventions taken to date.

South-east Asia is both a centre for the consumption of wildlife products, and also a key supplier of wildlife products to the world. Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR and Vietnam are among the south-east Asian countries that act as major sources of wildlife in trade, the trade involving a wide variety of native species, which, in many cases, are declining as a result of unsustainable, and often illegal, harvest.

Includes information on 1230 species of reptile, 433 species of mammal and 1212 species of bird taken by just two villages, often for food.

Report documenting use and trade of wildlife, including for meat. Interviewees in one village reported eating wild meat “about once or twice a month”.