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MN0119017ENN.en.pdf (3.2 MiB)

Illegal wildlife trafficking is a serious and growing problem. The global trade is estimated to be worth tens of billions of euros and to include hundreds of millions of plant and animal specimens. It threatens the survival of iconic species, including elephants, rhinos and tigers, as well as thousands of lesser-known mammals, reptiles and birds. Illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing has devastating impacts on fish stocks and the livelihoods of coastal communities. Perpetrators have little to fear as many countries lack adequate laws and sanctions to penalise them. In addition to the direct ecological impacts of wildlife and forest crime, there is growing evidence that the corruption that enables it to flourish feeds a spiral that undermines the rule of law, fosters other criminal activities and fuels insecurity. However, our understanding of the precise ways that wildlife trafficking and insecurity are linked remains incomplete, and in particular the involvement of armed insurgencies and terrorist groups.

This study brings together robust information drawn from over 20 marine and terrestrial sites in sub-Saharan Africa and shines a spotlight on the nature and extent of the links between security, including socio-economic security, and wildlife (protection of species and ecosystems, interactions between humans and nature, and trafficking).

As such it contributes to key objectives of the 2016 EU Action Plan against wildlife trafficking and will enable the EU, as a leading contributor to biodiversity-related development assistance in Africa, to engage in a well-informed political dialogue on the wildlife-security nexus, and define effective responses and programmes that mutually reinforce wildlife conservation and the security and well-being of communities that live in and around key habitats and landscapes.

For more Information, please, download the Document here below: