17 February 2014

Declaration to fight the illegal wildlife trade agreed to at the London Conference

At the London Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade on 13 February, forty-six countries agreed to a declaration to fight the illegal wildlife trade, which results in the deaths of thousands of elephants, rhinos and other endangered species per year. The declaration states that the trade has a ‘significant scale and detrimental economic, social and environmental consequences.’ The countries agreed to address corruption, adopt legislation for stricter penalties on poachers, and recruit more law enforcement officers, among other actions. Additionally, in the declaration states promise to not procure wildlife products officially. Foreign secretary William Hague described the conference as unprecedented, historic and a turning point in the fight against the illegal wildlife trade.

Source: The Guardian | Global accord on combatting illegal wildlife trade agreed by 46 nations