EU launches Action Plan to fight poaching, wildlife trafficking

The European Commission has launched an Action Plan against wildlife trafficking in the European Union and globally.

On Friday, the European Commission adopted an EU Action Plan to tackle wildlife trafficking within the EU and to strengthen the EU’s role in the global fight against these illegal activities.

In a press release, the commission said the Action Plan is an ambitious blueprint that mobilises all EU diplomatic, trade and development cooperation tools to crackdown on what has become one of the most profitable criminal activities worldwide.

“Recent years have seen a dramatic surge in wildlife trafficking. An estimated 8 to 20 billion Euros pass annually through the hands of organised criminal groups, ranking alongside the trafficking of drugs, people and arms. It not only threatens the survival of some emblematic species, it also breeds corruption, claims human victims, and deprives poorer communities of much-needed income. It also threatens security in Central Africa, where militia and terrorist groups partly fund their activities through wildlife trafficking,” read the statement in part.

The Action Plan was prepared jointly by a core team co-chaired by the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the Commission Federica Mogherini and Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella, with the close involvement of Commissioners for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica and for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos.

“Wildlife trafficking and poaching are drivers of insecurity and instability in several countries and regions. They can provide resources to armed groups and encourage corruption. We have to build strong partnerships with the countries along the trafficking chain – origin, destination and transit. The EU is ready to work with its partners in order to stop this form of trafficking and to support affected communities,” said Vice president of the European Commission and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini.

“Wildlife trafficking is a major threat to our sustainable future, and we need to fight it on several fronts. At this rate, a child born today will see the last wild elephants and rhinos die before their 25th birthdays. The new Action Plan underlines our commitment to ending this criminal activity, bringing together political will and action on the ground,” said EU Commissioner for Environment, Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Karmenu Vella.

The EU is a destination, source and transit region for trafficking in endangered species, which involves live and dead specimens of wild fauna and flora, or parts of products made from them.

More than 20 000 elephants and 1200 rhinoceroses were killed in 2014 and, after years of recovery, their populations are once more in decline.

As the  biggest donor internationally, the EU is supporting conservation efforts in Africa with 700 million EUR for the period 2014-2020.

The Action Plan comprises 32 measures to be carried out between now and 2020 by the EU and its 28 Member States.

The EU has been at the forefront of the fight against wildlife crime, advocating for strict rules under the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), promoting its implementation in all countries, and supporting large scale conservation efforts.