BIAZA Position Statement on the Illegal Wildlife Trade

The illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products is having an increasingly devastating impact on biodiversity worldwide, being the major threat of extinction for a growing number of species including high profile animals such as elephants and tigers, and high profile plants such as rosewood.  Environmental Crime, which includes the illegal wildlife trade and illegal logging, is the fifth most lucrative serious organised crime and is estimated to be worth up to £17 billion a year.  As the illegal wildlife trade is often a lower enforcement priority in many countries, with reduced risk of both detection and penalties, increasingly there are links with other forms of organised crime such as trafficking in drugs and arms. 

Despite much public attention being focussed on the Asian countries, it should also be recognised that Europe, including the UK, is both a destination market and a hub for trafficking species in transit to other regions.  It should also be recognised that Europe is a region from which certain species, such as eels, are sourced for trade.

The illegal wildlife trade often runs alongside the legal trade, and can be hidden by it and is sometimes enabled by it. Analysis of numbers and species for sale, such as Asian song birds and corals, clearly suggests that Europe is still a consumer destination.  Examples have been seen of the following issues at point of importation

·         Incorrect identification / mislabelling of species

·         Absent or incorrect permits (export or import)

·         Transhipping to hide country of origin

·         Animals hidden from customs officials

BIAZA (The British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums) and its members undertake to:

·         Work to add to information about the illegal trade in species within the UK and Ireland

·         Work on increasing captive breeding knowledge for species such as corals to reduce demand

·         Raise awareness of the Illegal Wildlife Trade with the public who visit our members ( c. 30 million per year), including information on how to report instances of illegal wildlife trade 

·         Ensure that BIAZA standards are met on the transfer of animals, including due diligence on their provenance and their destination

BIAZA requests that UK and Irish Governments:

·         Strengthen enforcement agency resources for the regulation of the wildlife trade including border controls for the import of species, particularly with steps to increase the identification of illegally traded species, such as coral, and to increase the staffing of the UK Border Force CITES team (particularly post Brexit)

BIAZA further requests that the UK Government:

·         Continues to fulfil its promises made earlier this year with the announcement of the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund 

With 117 members, BIAZA is the professional Association for the UK and Ireland’s zoos and aquariums.  BIAZA members pride themselves on their excellent animal welfare, education, research and conservation work.