Transportation industry roped in to counter wildlife trafficking

Global transport leaders sign historic declaration at Buckingham Palace in fight to shut down Illegal wildlife trafficking routes

A declaration at Buckingham Palace committing leaders of the transportation industry globally to taking major steps to fight illicit wildlife trafficking.

 A game changer in the race against extinction
The Duke of Cambridge

The Buckingham Palace Declaration commits signatories to 11 commitments that will raise standards across the transportation industry to prevent traffickers of wildlife products from exploiting weaknesses as they seek to covertly move their products from killing fields to marketplaces. The commitments focus on information sharing, staff training, technological improvements, and resource sharing across companies and organisations worldwide.

The commitments will also see the world’s leading transportation firms assisting those in poorer nations who are in need of expertise and new systems.

Magdy Martínez-Solimán, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director of Bureau for Policy and Programme Support stated, “The declaration is a landmark achievement for UNDP because the recent escalation in the illegal wildlife trade not only threatens biodiversity but has the potential to undo hard-won development gains. Illegal wildlife trade undermines national and regional security, democratic governance, prospects for sustainable development and threatens livelihoods.”

UNDP is a member of the United for Wildlife transport taskforce, involved since its inception by HRH the Duke of Cambridge in December 2015 and supports the aims and objectives of the taskforce on engaging the transport sector in preventing illicit trade in protected species of wild fauna and flora. Amongst the other signatory members are the World Customs Organisation and importantly the Convention on Illegal Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES) – the world’s regulatory instrument on trade in endangered species.

UNDP is building support for an extensive biodiversity and ecosystems portfolio, covering over 130 countries and 500 projects with US$ 1.5 billion in funding and US$ 3.5 billion in co-financing. This includes coordination to achieve synergies between governance, anti-corruption, poverty, crisis recovery and biodiversity management.

More links: http://www.unitedforwildlife.org/#!/home

This news is based on an UNDP press release