REDUCING POACHING, REDUCING TRAFFICKING, REDUCING DEMAND GLOBAL WILDLIFE PROGRAM A GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP ON WILDLIFE CONSERVATION & CRIME PREVENTION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT THE PROGRAM Poaching and illegal wildlife trafficking AT A GLANCE are reaching unprecedented levels, robbing the livelihoods of local communities and eroding the Launched in 2015, the Global Wildlife Program (GWP) —A The reach of the GWP allows the program to achieve global commons. The Global Wildlife Program Global Partnership on Wildlife Conservation and Crime greater impact than if national projects worked indepen- is a major effort to help tackle the supply Prevention for Sustainable Development—is a $131 mil- dently, accelerate the sharing of best practices and les- and demand for illegal wildlife products. lion grant program funded by the Global Environment sons learned, and coordinate outreach with partners, col- Importantly, the project is not only about Facility (GEF) and led by the World Bank Group. The GWP laborators and donors. seeks to address the illegal wildlife trade (IWT) across 19 stopping the slaughter of animals in the Threats to wildlife can be significantly reduced through countries in Asia and Africa by serving as a platform for forests and savannas of Africa; it also a concerted effort to deploy tools and resources along knowledge exchange and coordination, and supporting aims at reducing the demand in Asia. the entire IWT supply chain. The GWP does this by reduc- on-the-ground actions. ing poaching at the site level through the engagement Naoko Ishii Combating the illegal trade in wildlife is a high priori- of local communities and by conserving and protecting GEF CEO & Chairperson ty for the GEF—in their sixth cycle of funding they cre- wildlife natural habitats; controlling wildlife crime and ated a new strategic objective to prevent the extinction reducing trafficking through effective law enforcement; of threatened species within their Biodiversity Strategy. and reducing demand for wildlife by raising awareness The GWP targets this objective as well as others within and changing behavior. the GEF’s focal areas of land degradation, climate change Each of the 20 GWP projects tackles one or more of these and sustainable forest management. components across this supply chain. A MULTIFACETED GLOBAL THREAT Wildlife crime has reached critical proportions and is To address this crisis, the GWP is providing a unique re- threatening numerous species with localized extinctions. sponse through a multi-focus, well-integrated program. The value of IWT is estimated at $7.8-10 billion per year1 THE IMPACT OF ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE ON DEVELOPMENT making wildlife crime the fourth most lucrative illegal In many developing countries, wildlife is a driver for tour- business after narcotics, human trafficking, and weap- ism, job creation, and sustainable development, as well ons, and increasingly involves sophisticated, internation- as bringing significant ecological and cultural benefits to al and well-organized criminal networks. regions around the world. The increase in wildlife poaching is driven by a rising Wildlife crime robs communities of their natural capital demand for illegal wildlife products, especially from and livelihoods, deepens poverty and inequality, and the rapidly growing economies of Asia and South East threatens national security by causing instability and fu- Asia. While demand plays a key role in fueling wildlife eling conflicts. crime, poaching is also the result of extreme poverty, IWT negatively impacts state revenue, economies, and lo- conflict over natural resources such as land and water, cal communities, with more than $70 billion per year lost weak enforcement, corruption, and political instability. due to crimes affecting natural resources. 1 excluding timber and fisheries 58% Decline in wildlife ILLEGAL WILDLIFE populations since 1970 TRADE: THE FACTS Sources: David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, IUCN, Panthera, Thin Green Line Foundation, TRAFFIC, UNODC, WWF Poaching is decimating African elephants. An estimated Leopards face a growing threat, with their conservation 30,000 are slaughtered each year for their ivory, which is status declined to “vulnerable” in the 2016 IUCN Red List carved into high-demand ornamental objects. of Threatened Species. The leopard is now extinct in 23 of The number of black rhino, a critically endangered spe- Found over large parts of Africa and Asia, all eight spe- its 85 original range countries in Africa and Asia. Stretch- According to The Great Elephant Census, African ele- cies, has dwindled from 100,000 in 1960 to just 5,000 in cies of pangolin could face extinction as the world’s most ing across the vast hills of Asia, only 4,000 to 6,500 snow phant populations plummeted by at least 30% between 2016. Rhino poaching is currently at a crisis point, push- trafficked mammal. This anteater-like creature’s scales leopards remain, endangered as a result of poaching, loss 2007 and 2014. The International Union for the Conser- ing this iconic species closer towards extinction. The cur- are used in traditional medicine, their meat is consid- of its natural prey species, damage to its fragile, high- vation of Nature’s (IUCN) African Elephant Status Report rent demand results from a mistaken belief that rhino ered a high-end delicacy in Vietnam and China, and their elevation habitat, and a lack of awareness among local shows the worst declines in 25 years, mainly due to the horn can cure a wide variety of ailments and, like ivory, is blood is seen as a healing tonic. One million pangolins communities and governments. Leopards are poached surge of poaching over the past ten years; habitat loss made into ornamental carvings and other artifacts. have been poached since the year 2000. for their skins and other body parts. also poses a serious, long-term threat. Ivory seizures now surpass those of cocaine 1000 An elephant 164,000 A pangolin is killed for its An African rhino according to the World Park rangers have Seizures of wildlife 30% is killed every 4% meat and scales every is poached every Wildlife Crime Report, been killed Decline in elephant took place in of tigers remain in the wild evidence of the increased defending wildlife populations 2007-2014 15 mins 120 countries compared to last century 5 mins 8 hrs scale of poaching. Wildlife poaching and the illicit trade of THE GLOBAL WILDLIFE wildlife and forest products are abhorrent. This multi-billion dollar worldwide trade is a security issue, an environmental issue, and a development PROGRAM APPROACH issue. It is pushing vulnerable and endangered species toward extinction. The illicit trade REDUCING POACHING, TRAFFICKING & DEMAND Priority program investments focus on short-term inter- is also fueling corruption and conflict, ventions to ensure that site-level enforcement efforts The GWP intervenes at the global, regional, and national destroying lives, and deepening poverty compliment land-use planning activities. This increases levels. The World Bank Group’s global coordinating proj- and inequality. If not addressed incentives for communities and reflects the real value of ect establishes a learning and coordination platform to decisively, illicit poaching and wildlife wildlife. Immediate interventions also focus on raising promote enhanced IWT interventions and increase tech- trade will have significant national awareness and capacity building of judicial and enforce- nical capabilities. Country-based and regional projects economic impacts. ment authorities. focus on designing and implementing national strategies to improve wildlife and protected area management, Long-term interventions focus on promoting sustainabil- Helen Clark enhance community livelihood benefits, strengthen law ity and effective governance within communities, inte- UNDP Administrator enforcement and reduce demand through changing be- grating landscape management, improving livelihoods havior. through tourism and micro-enterprises, and enhancing national legislation. REDUCING POACHING REDUCING TRAFFICKING REDUCING DEMAND COMMUNITY • Human-wildlife conflict mitigation ENFORCEMENT • Strengthen enforcement agencies RAISE AWARENESS & • Targeted campaigns ENGAGEMENT • Community-based natural resource • Intelligence CHANGE BEHAVIOR • Regional initiatives management (CBNRM) • Investigation procedures and techniques • Forums and conferences • Alternative/sustainable Livelihoods • Border control and customs • Community conservancies • Law enforcement cooperation • Community policing • Accountability and integrity COLLABORATING FOR BROADER REACH • PA management • International and domestic laws PROTECTED LEGISLATION PA strategy, management plans • Wildlife and forest offenses AREAS (PA) The implementing agencies channeling the funds to the Anti-poaching patrol teams, Ecoguards • Regional initiatives Capacity building and training governments or other partners for the national projects Equipment and infrastructure JUDICIARY & • International cooperation are the World Bank Group, United Nations Development • Sentencing and sanctions • Expansion of PAs PROSECUTION Programme (UNDP), United Nations Environment Pro- • Transboundary initiatives • Capacity building gramme (UNEP), and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). INTEGRATED • Corridors and migratory routes • Landscape management and restoration LANDSCAPE The GWP also collaborates with the International Consor- • Climate smart landscapes MANAGEMENT tium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) and other do- • Cross-sector