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SIMUN X Forum: Environment Committee Issue: Measures to combat the poaching of endangered species Student Officer: Yashvi Gattani Position: Head Chair of Environment Committee Introduction Poaching is the illegal practice of hunting, capturing, taking or killing wildlife. Thousands of species around the world are threatened every day by the practice of poaching. There are over three thousand animals globally that are recognised as endangered, and this number is growing. The practice of poaching violates local, national, and international laws. Poaching is the second leading cause of extinction second only to habitat destruction. Biodiversity in the world is increasingly becoming an issue. Poaching is pursued for a number of reasons. Specific species are viewed as economic commodities. Animals (or fauna) are poached for their fur, tusks, antlers, and internal organs. Trees, plants, and flowers (or flora) are poached for resources such as timber and blossoms. Once a poacher obtains valuable wildlife, they are sold on illegal trade markets where they are resold. Most importantly, humans are the main cause of poaching. Definition of Key Terms Poaching Poaching is the practice of illegal hunting, killing, capturing or taking of wildlife violating local or international wildlife conservation laws. Poaching is usually practised for one of three reasons namely, sport, monetary gain, and/or subsistence survival. Endangered species are very often the target species of poachers; this is because the restrictions on the harvesting of endangered species mean that they have a very high value on illegal markets. Target Species A target species is any species that is intentionally hunted, killed, captured, or harvested by individuals who practice poaching. SIMUN Research Report | Page 1 of 6 SIMUN X Ecosystem An ecosystem is a system that includes all living organisms (biotic factors) in an area as well as its physical environment (abiotic factors) functioning together as a unit. The ecosystem concept remains important when assessing the impact of the poaching of endangered species. Endangered Species An endangered species is any species of flora or fauna that faces the risk of extinction. Many endangered species are victims of poaching or the adverse effects that poaching can have on an ecosystem. Endangered species also have a much higher trade value than unprotected species. Ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of tourism that involves visiting ecologically fragile, pristine, and natural sites. Revenue from ecotourism usually benefits the sites that people visit. General Overview In recent years the world has witnessed the most drastic increase in illegal wildlife trade. In 2011 alone, over 23 metric tons of illegal ivory was seized around the world. This figure represents a loss of around 2,500 elephants. The practice of poaching unnaturally changes the population of a species within its ecosystem, meaning that not only is the species harmed, but an entire ecosystem may face threats from other harmful environmental factors including but not limited to altered niches of animals that once shared a symbiotic relationship with the poached animal. Moreover, poaching invites the detrimental addition of invasive species to an ecosystem, and can cause an interruption of nature to such an extent that human lifestyle can by adversely affected if poaching continues. Illegal wildlife trade often goes unnoticed. Every time a country either knowingly or unknowingly exports illegal wildlife, another country will ultimately import the illegal wildlife. The cyclic nature of trade poses many challenges when attempting to resolve this issue. That being said, there have been many successful attempts to reduce the adverse impacts of illegal wildlife trade. The most successful attempts have been made by non-governmental organisations that have focused on building international inter-governmental cooperation to attempt to enforce regulations regarding illegal wildlife trade and by raising public awareness for this increasingly important issue. International Anti-Poaching Foundation (IAPF) IAPFS’s mission is to “protect and preserve wildlife in volatile regions” by educating, researching, leading, and raising awareness. The IAPF has started many initiatives to protect endangered species from poaching. Some of these initiatives include the IPAF Drone program which involves sending unmanned SIMUN Research Report | Page 2 of 6 SIMUN X aircraft (drones) over poaching hot spots. The drones build evidence against poachers who are operating in remote and largely inaccessible areas. Other initiatives include training individuals as part of the IAPF Anti-Poaching Ranger Program. TRAFFIC TRAFFIC’s mission is to be a “wildlife trade monitoring network, that works to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature.” Much like the IAPF, TRAFFIC has started many programs in an attempt to conserve nature by ensuring that animals and plants are not illegally traded. World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) WWF is a non-governmental international organisation that works to protect endangered species around the world. Much of WWF’s work is to protect species from poaching and illegal trafficking. WWF was founded in 1961 and remains one of the world’s most successful organisations dedicated to the conservation of endangered species. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) CITES is an international convention to protect endangered species. CITES works to ensure that the trade of all specimens of wild animals and plants does not harm the natural populations of the specimen in the wild. CITES was open for signatories in 1973 and entered into force in 1975. Currently, CITES protects the trade of over 34,000 plants and animal species, and has been approved as in accordance with the General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Founded in 1948, IUCN is the oldest conservation organisation in the world. IUCN is supported by more than 1,200 member organisations, including over 200 governments and over 900 non- governmental organisations. IUCN’s initiatives are updated every four years as part of their “global program” and approved by member organisations every four year cycle. IUCN is famous for its creation of the Red List, a list of the world’s most endangered species. Being the world’s largest global conservation organisation, IUCN also has Official Observer Status at the United Nations General Assembly. United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) UNEP’s mandate is "to be the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, that promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimensions of sustainable development within the United Nations system and that serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment." SIMUN Research Report | Page 3 of 6 SIMUN X Timeline of Events Date Description October 1948 The International Union for the Conservation of Nature is founded April 1961 The World Wildlife Fund for Nature is founded 1963 The first IUCN Red List of Endangered Species June 1972 UNEP is founded July 1975 CITIES has come into effect September 1995 UN Conference on Straddling Fish Stocks October 2001 UN report tropical nations lose more than 15 million hectares of forests March 2013 The most recent CITIES meeting of the Conference of parties July 2013 ECOSOC resolution ‘International cooperation in preventing and combating illicit international trafficking in forest products, including timber, wildlife and other forest biological resources’ is written September 2013 UN High Level Event on Illicit Wildlife Trafficking occurs UN Involvement, Relevant Resolutions, Treaties and Event Listed below are UN resolutions and actions that pertain to the protection of endangered species: ● World Charter for Nature, 28 October 1982 (A/RES/37/7) ● United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea, 10 December 1982 (A/RES/37/66) ● United Nations Conference on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks, 8 September 1995 (A/CONF.164/37) ● United Nations Fund for International Partnerships/United Nations Foundation Programme, 18 May 2000 (A/54/664/Add.3) ● Crime prevention and criminal justice responses against illicit trafficking in endangered species of wild Fauna and Flora, 28 July 2011 (E/RES/2011/36) ● The United Nations support of the CITES convention, the most recent conference occurring 3-14 March 2013 ● International cooperation in preventing and combating illicit international trafficking in forest SIMUN Research Report | Page 4 of 6 SIMUN X products, including timber, wildlife and other forest biological resources, 24 July 2013 (E/RES/2008/25) ● High-level Event on Illicit Wildlife Trafficking, 26 September 2013 (DSG/SM/708) Bibliography "CAWT - Wildlife Crime." CAWT - Wildlife Crime. Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking, n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2013. <http://www.cawtglobal.org/wildlife-crime/>. Chang, Eliot. "Infographic: How Poaching Is Threatening to Wipe Out Lions, Elephants, and Rhinos in Africa." Inhabitat Design Will Save the World. Inhabitat, 11 July 2013. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. <http://inhabitat.com/infographic-how-poaching-is-threatening-to-wipe-out-lions-elephantsandrhinos-in-africa/>. "Destructive Fishing." Marine Conservation Institute. N.p., 2013. Web. 03 Nov. 2013. <http://www.marine-conservation.org/what-we-do/program-areas/how-we-fish/destructive- fishing/>. "Environmental Crime: Trafficking in Wildlife and Timber." Transnational Organized Crime: Let's Put Them out of Business. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2013. Web. 07 Nov. 2013. <http://www.unodc.org/toc/en/crimes/environmental-crime.html>. Fleming, Nic. "Illegal Wildlife Trading in Internet's Deepest, Darkest Corners." The Guardian. N.p., 3 Sept. 2012. Web. 02 Nov. 2013. <http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/sep/04/illegal- wildlife-trade-internet>. Hsu, Jeremy. "Satellite-Linked Cameras Watch for Poaching of Endangered Animals." IEEE Spectrum. IEEE Spectrum, 12 Sept. 2013. Web. 08 Nov. 2013. <http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/greentech/conservation/satellitelinked-cameras-watch-for-poaching-of-endangered-animals>. Pedersen, Stephanie. "The International." Continued Poaching Will Result in the Degradation of Fragile Ecosystems —. The International, Inc., 04 June 2012. Web. 03 Nov. 2013. <http://www.theinternational.org/articles/188-continued-poaching-will-result-in-the-deg>. "Poaching Law & Legal Definition." Poaching Law & Legal Definition. US Legal, Inc., 2013. Web. 02 Nov. 2013. <http://definitions.uslegal.com/p/poaching/>. SIMUN Research Report | Page 5 of 6 SIMUN X "Threats | Illegal Wildlife Trade." WorldWildlife.org. World Wildlife Fund, 2013. Web. 02 Nov. 2013. <http://worldwildlife.org/threats/illegal-wildlife-trade>. SIMUN Research Report | Page 6 of 6