The USAID-funded Wildlife Trafficking, Response, Assessment and Priority Setting (Wildlife TRAPS) Project has published a study prepared by TRAFFIC on illegal trade trends in wild African elephant and rhinoceros.
22 September 2014: The USAID-funded Wildlife Trafficking, Response, Assessment and Priority Setting (Wildlife TRAPS) Project has published a study prepared by TRAFFIC on illegal trade trends in wild African elephant and rhinoceros.
The report, titled ‘Illegal trade in ivory and rhino horn: an assessment to improve law enforcement under the wildlife TRAPS project,’ identifies capacity gaps and provides recommendations to improve coordinated enforcement response between stakeholders in Africa and Asia. The report reviews the volume of ivory and rhinoceros horn trafficked as well as seizure information; methods of shipping and detection; known trade routes and the structure of criminal organizations involved; and key interventions to counter the trafficking.
According to the report, both rhinoceros horn and ivory trafficking are believed to function as Asian-run, African-based operations, with the syndicates increasingly relying on sophisticated technology to support their operations. The report recommends the development of coordinated, specialized intelligence units to disrupt organized criminal networks through the identification of key individuals and financial flows and more high level arrests. [Publication: Illegal trade in ivory and rhino horn: an assessment to improve law enforcement under the wildlife TRAPS project] [TRAFFIC News]