Wildlife Trafficking
Natural resources worldwide are under pressure. By working with other governments, organizations, and people around the world, the United States can meet global conservation challenges. One of these is illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife parts amounting to $10-$20 billion per year-second only to arms and drug smuggling.
This illegal trade is fueled by unchecked demand for exotic pets, rare foods, trophies, and traditional medicines. The slaughter to meet this demand is driving tigers, elephants, rhinoceros, exotic birds, and many other species to the brink of extinction. In addition, the alarming rise in virulent wildlife diseases, such as avian influenza and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) which can be spread by illegal wildlife trade and endanger public health.
To confront the growing threats to global wildlife from poaching and illegal trade in wildlife, the State Department created the Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking (CAWT). The coalition consists of U.S. Government agencies, other governments, and private sector partners. This coalition aims to bring the public and private sectors together to accomplish three goals, improving wildlife enforcement, reducing consumer demand, and catalyzing high-level political will to fight illegal trade in wildlife.
The Coalition complements and reinforces existing national, regional and international efforts to combat illegal traffic in wildlife. William Wijnstekers, Secretary General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) expressed his support for the Coalition in September 2008 with these words: "The CITES Secretariat is pleased to be associated with the efforts by the Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking (CAWT) to gain such attention and priority. The international multi-government and multi-organization CAWT partnership is a welcome addition to our ongoing battle against wildlife criminals."
For further information see the CAWT internet site: http://www.cawtglobal.org/cawt/public/
World Environment Day: Dr. Jane Goodall Films Public Service Announcements (PSAs) to Stop Illegal Trade in Wildlife
To continue the momentum spurred by the highly successful Harrison Ford PSAs, the Department of State has once again partnered with WildAid. The two new public service announcements on wildlife trafficking are with conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall. Dr. Goodall, a world renowned primatologist and Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, agreed to film the PSAs to further spread the message that demand reduction of illegally trafficked goods will stop the killing of endangered species. These PSAs were filmed in New York City in September 2008 and are being distributed to overseas audiences with the help of U.S. embassies around the world. View Videos
The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department. External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.