Dr.  Joshua  Busby  LBJ  School  of  Public  Affairs  University  of  Texas-­‐Aus?n  

May  5,  2015    hFps://sites.utexas.edu/wildlife/  

Presenters  

•  Leo  Carter  •  Caitlin  Goodrich  •  LinhPhung  Huynh  •  Cliff  Kaplan  •  Delfina  Rossi  •  Wade  Tanner  

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VIRGINIA  W.  MASON  AND  BRAD  SCRIBER,  NGM  STAFFSOURCES:  COLORADO  STATE  UNIVERSITY;  SAVE  THE  ELEPHANTS;  MONITORING  THE  ILLEGAL  KILLING  OF  ELEPHANTS  (MIKE);  DEPARTMENT  OF  ZOOLOGY,  UNIVERSITY  OF  OXFORD;  KENYA  WILDLIFE  SERVICE;  DIANE  SKINNER,  AFRICAN  ELEPHANT  SPECIALIST  GROUP,  IUCN.  

Importance  to  the  United  States  

Execu?ve  Branch  •  2013  Execu?ve  Order  •  2014  Na?onal  Strategy  •  2015  Implementa?on  Plan  

Congress  •  House  CommiFee  on  

Foreign  Affairs  •  Trade  Promo?on  

Authority  Mark-­‐Up  •  S27  Wildlife  Trafficking  

Enforcement  Act  of  2015  •  Reauthoriza?on  of  Save  

Vanishing  Species  Stamp  

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2013  Execu?ve  Order  The  poaching  of  protected  species  and  the  illegal  trade  in  wildlife  and  their  deriva?ve  parts  and  products  (together  known  as  "wildlife  trafficking")  represent  an  interna?onal  crisis  that  con?nues  to  escalate.  Poaching  opera?ons  have  expanded  beyond  small-­‐scale,  opportunis?c  ac?ons  to  coordinated  slaughter  commissioned  by  armed  and  organized  criminal  syndicates.  The  survival  of  protected  wildlife  species  such  as  elephants,  rhinos,  great  apes,  ?gers,  sharks,  tuna,  and  turtles  has  beneficial  economic,  social,  and  environmental  impacts  that  are  important  to  all  na?ons.  Wildlife  trafficking  reduces  those  benefits  while  genera?ng  billions  of  dollars  in  illicit  revenues  each  year,  contribu?ng  to  the  illegal  economy,  fueling  instability,  and  undermining  security.  ….  For  these  reasons,  it  is  in  the  na?onal  interest  of  the  United  States  to  combat  wildlife  trafficking.    

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Six  Papers  

•  Consumer  Demand  •  Security  •  Mul?lateral  Approaches  •  Sport  Hun?ng  •  Ecotourism  •  Public-­‐Private  Partnerships  

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Demand  

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Na?onal  Strategy  

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Focus  on  “reducing  demand  for  illegal  wildlife  and  wildlife  products  through  targeted,  evidence-­‐based  approaches  to  changing  cri?cal  consump?on  paFerns  that  drive  wildlife  trafficking  at  home  and  abroad…  The  markets  for  illegally  traded  wildlife  exist  for  different  reasons  in  different  parts  of  the  world  and  so  the  approaches  that  work  well  in  the  United  States  may  find  less  success  elsewhere;  effec?ve  strategies  will  need  to  be  tailored  to  be  country  and  species-­‐specific.”  

Na?onal  Strategy  for  Comba?ng  Wildlife  Trafficking:  Implementa?on  Plan  

Global  Rhino  Horn  Trade  

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Large  Scale  Ivory  Seizures  

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TRAFFIC,  2013  

AESR,  CITES,  ETIS,  2007  

Ques9ons:  Demand  for  what?  From  where?  By  whom?  

Methodology:  Exis?ng  surveys  Campaign  analysis  Interviews  in  China  

Our  Approach  

Comparison:  China  and  Vietnam  

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Health,  conspicuous  consump?on  

Male,  high  income,  business  sector  

Ivory   Rhino  horn  

‘Wild’  value  

U.S.  connec?on  

Decora?on   ‘Cure  all,’  life  of  excess  

CHINA   VIETNAM  

Comparison:  Ivory  in  China  and  U.S.  

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higher  price  à  investment  

Buyers  and  sellers  

Carvings  

Peak  demand   Falling  demand  

Effec?ve  law  enforcement  

Huge  market  size   Subs?tutes  available  

CHINA   U.S.  

High  price  à  investment  

Main  Insights  •  Demand  varies  by  – product  and  purpose  – country,  sub-­‐region  – age,  gender,  income  level,  educa?on  level,  job  

•  Trend:  Young  male,  high  income,  business  and  government  sectors  

•  Ivory  demand  in  U.S.  and  linkages  to  China  •  Capacity  -­‐-­‐  willingness  

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Security  

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Wildlife  Trafficking  and  Na?onal  Security  

 Wildlife  trafficking  is  both  a  cri4cal  conserva4on  concern  and  a  threat  to  global  security  with  

significant  effects  on  the  na4onal  interests  of  the  United  States  and  the  interests  of  our  partners  

around  the  world.    

From  the  Na?onal  Strategy  for    Comba?ng  Wildlife  Trafficking  

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Our  Approach  

1.  Create  a  framework  to  determine  the  specific  pathways  that  connect  wildlife  trafficking  and  security  

2.  Test  that  framework  through  detailed  examina?on  of  7  case  studies  

3.  Crar  policy  op?ons  that  address  wildlife  trafficking’s  nexus  with  security  

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Our  Findings  

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•  Wildlife  trafficking  is  primarily  a  threat  to  U.S.  interests  abroad  because  it:  – Serves  as  a  way  for  rebel  groups,  mili?as  and  terrorists  to  fund  violence  and  destabiliza?on  

– Undercuts  good  governance  in  range,  transit  and  demand  states  

– Fuels  transna?onal  organized  crime  – Undermines  economic  development  

Selected  Policy  Op?ons  

•  Increase  capacity  for  monitoring  and  inves?ga?ng  financial  flows  associated  with  wildlife  trafficking  

•  Direct  relevant  agencies  to  create  a  periodic  report  exploring  which  groups  and  en??es  derive  funding  from  wildlife  trafficking  

•  Expand  use  of  informa?on  sorware  to  increase  availability  of  data  

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Mul9lateral  Approaches  

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Mul?lateral  Efforts  to  Combat    Wildlife  Trafficking  

•  Mul?lateral  efforts  parallel  each  of  the  three  Strategic  Priori?es  in  the  Na4onal  Strategy    

 

•  Strengthen  enforcement  •  Reduce  demand  for  illegally  traded  wildlife  •  Build  interna?onal  coopera?on,  commitment,  and  public-­‐private  partnerships  

   

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Our  Approach  

1.  Apply  a  func?onal  framework:    •  Seven  key  func?ons    •  Ten  major  organiza?ons  

2.  Take  a  deeper  look  at  the  challenges  that  each  organiza?on  faces,  looking  for  paFerns  between  the  organiza?ons  

3.  Crar  policy  op?ons  that  address  systemic  challenges  

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Major  Organiza?ons  

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Inter-­‐Governmental    •  CITES  •  UN  Office  on  Drugs  and  Crime  •  INTERPOL  •  World  Bank  •  World  Customs  Organiza?on  •  UN  Security  Council  •  ASEAN  Wildlife  Enforcement  Network  

 

Non-­‐Governmental    •  Wildlife  Conserva?on  Society  •  World  Wildlife  Fund  •  TRAFFIC  

Key  Challenges  

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•  Lack  of  informa?on  about  species  health  and  poaching  incidence  

•  Limited  finance  •  Inadequate  intelligence  gathering  and  enforcement  •  Limited  state  capacity  •  Coordina?on  problems  among  major  organiza?ons  •  Demand  management,  lack  of  informa?on  about  demand  

Selected  Policy  Op?ons  •  Offer  explicit  support,  including  financial  support,  for  the  Technology  and  Innova4on  Fund  proposed  by  CITES  

•  Incorporate  wildlife  concerns  into  authorizing  and  implemen?ng  legisla?on  on  interna?onal  trade  deals  

•  Direct  the  USFWS  or  DOS  to  convene  a  special  task  force  for  coordina?on  and  informa?on  dissemina?on  among  the  major  organiza?ons  

 

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Sport  Hun9ng  

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Sport  Hun?ng  

•  Viewed  as  a  beneficial  conserva?on  tool  by  some,  detriment  to  conserva?on  by  others  

•  Implemented  through  CITES  at  the  na?onal  level  

•  Non-­‐detriment  findings  (NDFs)  are  required  for  import/export  

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Significance  to  U.S.  

•  Na?onal  Strategy  and  Implementa?on  Plan  •  Current  legisla?on  – H.R.  326:  Allow  polar  bear  trophy  imports  – H.R.  697:  Ivory  imports  – H.R.  1099:  Farmers  and  bai?ng  game  birds  – S.  659:  Combina?on  of  H.R.  326  &  1099  

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Significance  to  U.S.  

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Our  Approach  

1.  Compile  current  regula?ons,  data,  and  research  on  sport  hun?ng    

2.  Examine  impacts  on  wildlife  and  local  communi?es  

3.  Crar  policy  op?ons  that  address  concerns  with  current  sport  hun?ng  management  

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Our  Findings  

•  Sport  hun?ng  can  support  local  communi?es,  economies,  and  conserva?on  as  part  of  a  sound  management  program  

•  Results  vary  on  a  country-­‐by-­‐country  and  species-­‐by-­‐species  basis    

•  Lack  of  accurate  data  evident  

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Selected  Policy  Op?ons  

•  Cer?fica?on  programs  – Ensure  hun?ng  expenditures  reach  conserva?on  efforts  and  local  communi?es  

•  Import  scru?ny  –  Increase  wildlife  inspectors  at  ports  

•  Non-­‐detriment  finding  policies  –  Include  sunset  clause  

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Ecotourism  

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Wildlife  Ecotourism  

Support  Community-­‐Based  Wildlife  Conserva4on:        Work  with  local  communi4es  to  strengthen  repor4ng  of  poaching  and  other  trafficking  ac4vity  and  create  support  for  conserving  wildlife,  including  through  work  to  strengthen  or  create  economic  incen4ves  for  local  communi4es  to  protect  wildlife.  

 From  the  Na?onal  Strategy  for    Comba?ng  Wildlife  Trafficking:  

 Implementa?on  Plan  

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Our  Approach  

1.  Original  fieldwork  and  interviews  in  Tanzania  2.  Data  gathered  (UNWTO,  World  Bank)  

-­‐  Iden?fica?on  of  current  and  poten?al  countries  with  ecotourism  

3.  Review  of  exis?ng  U.S.  programs  (USAID,  FWS)  

   

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Countries  with  ecotourism  

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Tourism  indicators  of  countries  with  wildlife  ecotourism  sector.  Source:  UNWTO.  Data  is  average  per  country  over  the  period  2009-­‐2013  Tanzania  expenditure  over  GDP  from  the  World  Bank  Group  report.  “The  Elephant  in  the  Room;  Unlocking  the  poten?al  of  the  tourism  industry  for  Tanzanians”.    February  2015    

   

Indirectly:10%!  

                               3.4  

U.S.  Support  for  Ecotourism  

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Policy  op?ons  •  Propose  the  crea?on  of  an  accredita?on  system  for  ecotourism    

•  Review  effec?veness  of  USG-­‐supported  programming  in  Africa  for  wildlife  management  areas  and  an?-­‐poaching  

•  Provide  funding  for  an  an?-­‐poaching  hotline    

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Public-­‐Private  Partnerships  

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PPPs  &  Illegal  Wildlife  Trade  

•  The  private  sector  can  bolster  the  public  sector  through:  –  Increased  funding  and  manpower  –  Increased  logis?cal  support    – Crea?ng  a  marketplace  of  ideas  

   

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Areas  of  PPP  involvement:  

•  Enforcement  and  monitoring  •  Species  and  habitat  conserva?on  •  Demand  reduc?on  through  public  awareness  and  educa?on  

•  Informa?on  gathering  •  Fundraising  &  leveraged  funding    

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Supply  Chain  Enforcement  

•  NGO  pressure  on  the  private  sector  through  publicity  –  IFAW  on  Ebay,  TRAFFIC  and  Alibaba  

•  Standardize  regulatory  prac?ces  across  industries    

•  Corporate  responsibility  implica?ons:    –  shipping,  air  travel,  and  tourism  –  Leading  by  example:  Ebay  →  Rakuten  →  UPS?  

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NGOs  &  Awareness  Campaigns  

US-­‐Financed  Awareness  Campaigns  

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Current  USFWS  grants  and  leveraged  funding  campaigns:  l  An?-­‐poaching  training  and  logis?cs  l  Customs  and  law  enforcement  capacity  building  l  Demand  reduc?on  awareness  campaigns  (only  3%  of  funding)  

USAID/ARREST  campaigns:  Public  awareness  and  media  campaigns  in  China,  Vietnam,  and  Thailand  (iThink  and  FinFree)    

Policy  Op?ons  •  Support  interna?onal  standard  seyng    –  Congressional  hearings  with  private  sector    – Comprehensive  studies  on  global  wildlife  trade  and  the  actors  involved  

•  Foster  sharing  of  informa?on  and  best  prac?ces  on  curbing  demand  –   GAO  report,  hearings,  funding  vehicles  –   Involving  interna?onal  NGOs  and  private  sector  –   Improving  awareness  campaigns  and  externalizing  review  process  

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Thank  you  for  the  opportunity  

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BACKUP  SLIDES  

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Pathways  •  Direct:  

–  Sale  of  wildlife  items  used  to  fund  aFacks  against  the  American  homeland  and/or  American  bases,  embassies,  or  people  abroad  

–  Wildlife  items  smuggled  into  the  United  States,  possibly  among  other  illicit  items  (e.g.,  weapons,  drugs)  or  by  the  same  groups  that  engage  in  smuggling  of  other  illicit  goods  

–  Wildlife  items  smuggled  in  that  contain  infec?ous  pathogens  

•  U.S.  Interests:  –  Wildlife  items  used  to  fund  extremist  organiza?ons  that  that  do  not  threaten  the  United  

States  directly  but  could  threaten  U.S.  allies/key  regional  actors  –  Poaching  violence  and/or  wildlife  items  used  to  fund  rebel  groups  that  pose  a  threat  to  

peace  and  security  –  Wildlife  crime  undercuyng  governance  in  range,  transit  and  demand  states  that  are  

strategically  important  to  the  United  States  –  Wildlife  crime  used  to  finance  transna?onal  criminal  networks  –  Wildlife  crime  undermining  economic  development  and  growth  through  increased  

violence  

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Case  Studies  and  their  Pathways  •  Al  Shabaab’s  involvement  in  the  ivory  trade  to  finance  its  opera?ons,  which  include  poten?al  aPacks  on  the  United  States  or  U.S.  ci?zens  as  well  as  their  wider  extremist  network    

•  Trafficking  of  wildlife  products  on  U.S.  soil  which  includes  illegal  products  being  smuggled  into  the  U.S.  and  the  involvement  of  transna9onal  crime  

•  The  Lord’s  Resistance  Army  (LRA)  involvement  in  the  ivory  trade  to  fund  their  rebel  group  •  Violence  in  Virunga  includes  rebel  groups  funding  their  opera?ons,  links  to  transna9onal  crime  and  the  undermining  economic  development  in  the  surrounding  region  

•  The  Uganda  military’s  possible  involvement  in  elephant  poaching  and  the  ivory  trade,  undermining  governance  and  involving  the  army  in  transna9onal  crime  

•  Ivory  smuggled  from  Africa  to  Asia,  undermining  governance  in  range,  transit  and  demand  states  and  perpetrated  by  transna9onal  crime  

•  The  Xaysvang  network  in  Laos  that  is  involved  in  the  wildlife  trade  through  Southeast  Asia  but  appears  to  be  opera?ng  with  impunity,  undermining  governance  and  contribu?ng  to  transna9onal  crime  

•  A  2012  mass  elephant  killing  in  Cameroon,  including  the  involvement  of  rebel  groups  and  undermining  economic  development  in  the  region.  

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Policy  op?on  (extra)  Hotline  to  report  poaching.    Pros:  

–  remove  fear  of  nega?ve  repercussion  from  repor?ng  poaching  –  Involve  more  ins?tu?ons  and  stakeholders  in  figh?ng  poaching,  –  make  easier  to  track  poaching,    –  Increase  arrests  of  poachers.  

•  Cons:    –  investment  in  the  technology  and  human  resources,  –  different  par?es  could  misused  the  hotline  if  the  conserva?on  goal  is  

not  clear,  –  the  security  and  anonymity  of  the  hotline  cannot  be  breached,    –  poachers  might  have  an  incen?ve  to  compromise  this  hotline.  

 

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Comparison:  Religious  Use  in  Thailand  and  The  Philippines  

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Symbolic  significance;  protec?on  

Transit  &  end  countries  

Corrup?on  

Buddhism   Catholicism  

Larger  market   Smaller  market  

Customs  officials  

THAILAND   THE  PHIL.  

Tourists  

Religious  authority  figures  

Organized  crime