Illicit Wildlife Trade. A Global Review

Academic Paper from the year 2017 in the subject Business economics - Trade and Distribution, grade: 9.0, Osun State University, language: English, abstract: Illicit Wildlife Trade refers to the commerce of products that are derived from non-domesticated animals or plants usually extracted from their natural environment or raised under control conditions.“lllicit wildlife trafficking” describes any environment-related crime that involves the illegal trade, smuggling, poaching, capture or collection of endangered species, protected wildlife (including animals and plants that are subject to harvest quotas and regulated by permits), derivatives or products thereof.Poaching has traditionally been defined as the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. And Game cropping is defined as the taking of animals from a wild herd in numbers that will not endanger the viability of the wild populationMost of the trade in wildlife is legal and provides much-needed revenue to range areas or source countries, many of which are located in developing countries or countries with economies in transition. However, according to Zimmerman, “The black market in illegal wildlife is now the second largest in the world—ranking only behind the trade in illegal drugs.” Therefore, the illegal trade, according to Cook et al, not only threatens survival and conservation of endangered species but also offers high rewards and low risks to those involved.