The Rise of Environmental Crime: A Growing Threat to Natural Resources, Peace, Development and Security

The rise in the illegal pangolin trade Pangolins, commonly called scaly ant-eaters, come in eight different species, four located in Africa, 89 and four in Asia. 90 All Pangolins are listed in CITES Appendix II, but the Asian ones are listed with a zero annual export quota. 91 Two Asian pangolin species are IUCN listed as critically endangered, 92 and two as endangered. 93 The Asian species have been hardest hit by illegal trade, with shipments in tens of tons going from southeast Asian range states into China. The illegal trade is primarily in live pangolins, pangolinmeat and scales. Demand in scales for traditional medicine and meat associated with luxury consumption primarily in China, and secondarily in Vietnam, drives the trade. 94 The scale of illegal, illicit and unregulated trade in pangolin parts is under-documented, making it difficult to precisely ascertain the size of the trade, particularly between Africa and Asia. Estimates have been made of seizures at 10,000 per year. 95 which if representing only 10% of the actual exploitation, makes IUCN’s SSC Pangolin Specialist Group’s estimate of 1 million individuals taken from the wild in the last decade, realistic. 96

lins since 2000), scales (used for traditional medicine) or meat (equivalent of 55,000 pangolins worth of meat seized 2007– 2015), which belong to distinct markets. About 20 metric tons of scales have been seized between 2007 and 2015. 97 The pangolins are potentially commercially extinct in China, which has made the regional trade take off since the 1990s. 98 Given recent seizures, it is safe to conclude that the trade is increasing in scope. Myanmar has emerged as a main transit and source country, because of its geographic location, size and weak government. 52 seizures were made between 2010 and 2014 in Myanmar and neighbouring countries with a retail value of over USD 3 million. 99 All four pangolin species in Africa are listed as vulnerable, but the hitherto legal exploitation (given national legality) here is increasing, reflecting a shift of the centre of gravity of the trade from Asia, and this particularly applies to scales. Seizures of pangolin parts in Zimbabwe during the first half of 2015 totalled almost 8 tonnes. The seized parts originated in Uganda, Republic of Congo, Kenya and Nigeria. These quantities can be compared with seizures prior to 2013, which did not exceed half a tonne. 100

These numbers lack resolution to distinguish between exploita- tion of the animal’s skin (zero quota imposed on Asian pango-

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