An EU project will help reduce the illegal trade of wildlife products. © Getty Images/iStockphoto
An EU project will help reduce the illegal trade of wildlife products. © Getty Images/iStockphoto

€8m boost for fight against illegal wildlife supply chains

The European Commission (EC) is funding a collaborative project to tackle illegal wildlife supply chains in Asia.

The Partners against Wildlife Crime scheme, which runs to 2022, plans to use alliances among communities and organisations to improve government actions and protect wildlife. 

The EC has provided €8m to an alliance of 12 international and national organisations across seven countries in Mekong region, which borders China and Southeast Asia. 

A collaborative group has been formed to lead the project, made up of the Wildlife Conservation Society, the Global Environmental Institute, the International Fund for Animal Welfare and Sun Yat-Sen University. It will promote cooperation across borders and prevent trafficking of illegally-sourced wildlife products between countries including China, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos. 

Alliances will help to reinforce security, protect biodiversity, and improve livelihoods, said the EU.

The project also aims to reduce consumer demand in the southern China market for illegal wildlife products, including species such as Asian elephants, tigers and freshwater turtles. 

Wu Zhongze, director of compliance and law enforcement coordination at China’s Wildlife Conservation of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, said that efforts had been taken to combat crimes in wildlife trafficking and he welcomed the EU’s support. 

At a launch meeting held in Beijing in June, key leaders from Partners against Wildlife Crime gathered to discuss how to work together effectively to successfully carry out the project.

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