The poster that may save India’s parrots

Blanket ban on trading in all Indian bird species

February 2012: A parrot in captivity is one of the more visible symbols of illegal trade in India, where all native wildlife receives full protection. To help enforcement officers identify native parrot species, TRAFFIC India has produced an identification poster.

Identification of parrots and other species in trade is a major challenge, but the new poster will help enforcement officers identify the 12 native Indian parrot species. The posters will be distributed to Police, Customs, Forest Departments, Railway Protection Forces, educational institutions such as schools and colleges.

Despite the blanket ban since 1990-91 on trade in all India's bird species, hundreds of parrots are collected and traded each year. They are taken from the wild and smuggled to various parts of the country and beyond. The bulk of the trade is in three to four week old chicks.

Huge demand in the pet tradeParrots are caught using nets and bird-lime. Adult parrots are traded throughout the year, with chicks arriving in trade between December and June. For every bird that reaches the market place, several are believed to die en route.

For centuries, parrots have been kept as pets mainly because they are straightforward to look after and easy to replace because of the large numbers in trade. This has in turn created demand that has led to an organised illegal trade in parrots.

Abrar Ahmed, ornithologist and a bird trade consultant to TRAFFIC India said: ‘The Alexandrine Parakeet is one of the most sought after species in the Indian live bird trade and is traded in large volumes throughout the year. The chicks are collected from forested areas and transported to bird markets in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Patna, Lucknow and Kolkata.

Read more:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/india-parrot.html

INTERPOL co-ordinated operation targeting illegal trade in endangered reptiles leads to arrests and seizures worldwide

Traffic, 11/8/10- LYON, France - A worldwide operation co-ordinated by INTERPOL and involving 51 countries across all five continents against the illegal trade in reptiles and amphibians has resulted in arrests worldwide and the seizure of thousands of animals as well as of products worth more than 25 million Euros.

Including national wildlife enforcement authorities, police, customs and specialized units from participating countries, Operation RAMP (September - October) focused particularly on illegal activities relating to the trade and possession of endangered reptiles such as turtles and snakes which included Boa constrictors. The operation resulted in thousands of searches and inspections being conducted, and saw hundreds of suspects being investigated or charged as part of an on-going series of investigations. The goods seized included leather products, and illicit firearms and drugs were also uncovered.

During the two month-long operation, which led to investigations into individuals and companies as well as inspections of premises such as seaports and wholesalers, INTERPOL's Environmental Crime Programme unit acted as a key operational communications and intelligence centre, facilitating the exchange of information between the world police body's member countries participating in the operation.

"Our goal in Operation RAMP was to detect and apprehend suspected wildlife criminals, whilst also furthering co-operation and collaboration between agencies and countries in an effort to enhance the fight against organized environmental crime," said the Director of INTERPOL's Specialized Crime unit, Bernd Rossbach.

"While investigations will continue well beyond the conclusion of Operation RAMP, this operation has shown what the international law enforcement community can collaboratively achieve against suspected environmental criminals and their networks."

"The success of this operation would not have been possible without the close co-operation and dedication of the police, customs, wildlife law enforcement agencies and specialized units in all of the participating countries," added Mr Rossbach.

John Scanlon, Secretary General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), who was briefed on the results of the operation during a visit to INTERPOL headquarters on Tuesday, said "The fact that INTERPOL helps co-ordinate such worldwide operations illustrates the level of serious criminality that is now commonly linked to illegal trade in wildlife. I congratulate all the national agencies that participated in Operation RAMP, and the INTERPOL officers worldwide who supported them. Such operations reinforce the very close working relationship that exists between CITES and INTERPOL," the head of CITES said on the sidelines of a meeting with INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald K. Noble.

Whilst Operation RAMP focused on detecting and apprehending suspected criminals and criminal groups, emphasis was also placed on ensuring the compliance of lawful traders such as private license holders, public retail outlets and wholesale distributors alongside targeted enforcement actions at national ports where imports and exports transit, collectively resulting in thousands of inspections during the two-month operation.

As the second global operation led by INTERPOL against wildlife crime, results to date from Operation RAMP follow those of its precursor, Operation TRAM (February 2010), which targeted the illegal trade in traditional medicines containing wildlife products and which led to the seizure of products worth more than 10 million Euros.

From: HerpDigest Volume # 10 Issue # 48 11/10/10 (A Not-for-Profit Publication)

INTERPOL co-ordinated operation targeting illegal trade in endangered reptiles leads to arrests and seizures worldwide

Traffic, 11/8/10- LYON, France - A worldwide operation co-ordinated by INTERPOL and involving 51 countries across all five continents against the illegal trade in reptiles and amphibians has resulted in arrests worldwide and the seizure of thousands of animals as well as of products worth more than 25 million Euros.

Including national wildlife enforcement authorities, police, customs and specialized units from participating countries, Operation RAMP (September - October) focused particularly on illegal activities relating to the trade and possession of endangered reptiles such as turtles and snakes which included Boa constrictors. The operation resulted in thousands of searches and inspections being conducted, and saw hundreds of suspects being investigated or charged as part of an on-going series of investigations. The goods seized included leather products, and illicit firearms and drugs were also uncovered.

During the two month-long operation, which led to investigations into individuals and companies as well as inspections of premises such as seaports and wholesalers, INTERPOL's Environmental Crime Programme unit acted as a key operational communications and intelligence centre, facilitating the exchange of information between the world police body's member countries participating in the operation.

"Our goal in Operation RAMP was to detect and apprehend suspected wildlife criminals, whilst also furthering co-operation and collaboration between agencies and countries in an effort to enhance the fight against organized environmental crime," said the Director of INTERPOL's Specialized Crime unit, Bernd Rossbach.

"While investigations will continue well beyond the conclusion of Operation RAMP, this operation has shown what the international law enforcement community can collaboratively achieve against suspected environmental criminals and their networks."

"The success of this operation would not have been possible without the close co-operation and dedication of the police, customs, wildlife law enforcement agencies and specialized units in all of the participating countries," added Mr Rossbach.

John Scanlon, Secretary General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), who was briefed on the results of the operation during a visit to INTERPOL headquarters on Tuesday, said "The fact that INTERPOL helps co-ordinate such worldwide operations illustrates the level of serious criminality that is now commonly linked to illegal trade in wildlife. I congratulate all the national agencies that participated in Operation RAMP, and the INTERPOL officers worldwide who supported them. Such operations reinforce the very close working relationship that exists between CITES and INTERPOL," the head of CITES said on the sidelines of a meeting with INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald K. Noble.

Whilst Operation RAMP focused on detecting and apprehending suspected criminals and criminal groups, emphasis was also placed on ensuring the compliance of lawful traders such as private license holders, public retail outlets and wholesale distributors alongside targeted enforcement actions at national ports where imports and exports transit, collectively resulting in thousands of inspections during the two-month operation.

As the second global operation led by INTERPOL against wildlife crime, results to date from Operation RAMP follow those of its precursor, Operation TRAM (February 2010), which targeted the illegal trade in traditional medicines containing wildlife products and which led to the seizure of products worth more than 10 million Euros.

From: HerpDigest Volume # 10 Issue # 48 11/10/10 (A Not-for-Profit Publication)

New Tool To Monitor Trade In Endangered Species

Thursday, 26 August 2010, 6:15 pm
Press Release: United Nations

UN-Backed Pact Launches New Tool To Monitor Trade In Endangered Species

New York, Aug 25 2010 12:10PM

The secretariat of a United Nations-backed conservation convention today announced the launch of a new web-based interactive tool that enables users to view trade data about wildlife and plants that was submitted by the 175 State parties to the international agreement.

The Trade Data Dashboards of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora ("http://www.cites.org/"CITES), which is administered by the UN Environment Programme ("http://www.unep.org/"UNEP), is designed to monitor the worldwide trade in wild fauna and flora as more terrestrial and aquatic species are used, and sometimes over-used, as part of human activities.

The tool was launched to mark the 35th anniversary of CITES, which was designed to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.

Users accessing the dashboards can, for example, learn with a few key strokes that reptile skins, specifically crocodile skins, are legally traded at a high volume, and that Colombia is one of the major exporters of spectacled caiman, the reptile most frequently traded for its skin.

The dashboard displays data on internationally-regulated species that are legally traded under CITES for purposes such as food, personal care, housing, clothing and scientific and medical research.

The global dashboard displays global trade trends, while the national dashboard shows information by country. Users can consult the dashboards on the CITES website to determine which species are traded, and in what volumes, both globally and by particular countries.

The trade data dashboards were developed by the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre ("http://www.unep-wcmc.org/"UNEP-WCMC) under a contract with the CITES secretariat. They provide decision-makers access to important trade information to help them make the best decisions to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of species whose trade is regulated by CITES.

“The CITES trade dashboards make the trade datasets easier to use and accessible by a wider audience. They offer policymakers an additional tool for identifying patterns of trade in listed species and related issues that may require special attention,” said John Scanlon, the Secretary-General of CITES.

Jon Hutton, Director of UNEP-WCMC, said the tool “complements others such as the recently launched Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool ("https://www.ibatforbusiness.org/" IBAT), which provides general information on biodiversity and natural habitats worldwide.”

More than 10 million trade transactions in animal and plant species have been reported to CITES since the Convention was established.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1008/S00430/new-tool-to-monitor-trade-in-endangered-species.htm

Huge pangolin seizure in China

Pangolins being decimated by illegal trade

July 2010. Customs officers in Guangdong, China, have seized more than 7.8 tonnes of frozen pangolins and 1,800 kg of pangolin scales from a fishing vessel after it was stopped for inspection.

International trade in Asian pangolin species is banned under CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). Two of the four species are classified as Endangered by IUCN.

2090 frozen pangolins
The suspect fishing vessel was sighted by a Guangdong Customs patrol and, when boarded, customs officials found 2090 frozen pangolins each weighing between 1-10 kg as well as 92 cases of pangolin scales.

The crew of 5 Chinese and 1 Malaysian national were arrested; they claimed they had been hired to sail the vessel from Xiangzhou Port, Zhuhai, to South-East Asia to pick up the illicit cargo.

The Malaysian crew member was said to have received instructions by satellite phone on where to rendezvous at sea to pick up the contraband. The smugglers were intercepted before they could transfer the cargo to another vessel off Gaolan Island.

Organized crime
"The use of satellite phones and trans-shipment of cargo at sea are indicative of the increasingly sophisticated methods being used by the organized criminal gangs involved in wildlife crime," said James Compton, TRAFFIC's Asia Pacific co-ordinator.

The Chinese authorities have shared intelligence on the seizures with enforcement agencies operating in the region, including INTERPOL, World Customs Organization (WCO) and ASEAN-Wildlife Enforcement Network and CITES, and are seeking co-operation with Malaysia's Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment on a joint investigation.

"Guangdong Customs are to be congratulated on this important action against wildlife smugglers operating between South-East Asia and China," said Professor Xu Hongfa, Director of TRAFFIC's China Programme.

26 tonnes of animal parts seized since 2007
A China Customs official quoted by the State news agency, Xinhua, noted that between 2007 and the end of June 2010 a total of 292 cases involving the smuggling of endangered species had been investigated in China. In total, 38,599 animal parts had been seized, weighing a total of 26.63 tonnes plus more than 55 tonnes of 2,753 rare plant varieties.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/pangolin-trade.html