This may not be news to you but I find it rather disturbing that the US has stayed up there in the list of leading centers for illegal wildlife trade despite the growth in the number of conservation conscious individuals.
An AFP report I stumbled upon in the ABC site (dated 10 June) quotes the US Assistant Secretary of State for Environment, Claudia McMurray, saying that China is the largest market for illegal wildlife products, but, disturbingly, the US comes second in the $10-Billion a year trade. So, first, we can confirm what we’ve always known: China is bad for wildlife. Second, it is time for you to carefully consider what you, as an individual, can do to help your country get a good name, and most important, save wildlife.
Perhaps this should help. The US market is not driven by deliberate and insensitive demand for wildlife products but by lack of information about which products are illegal. Most ”culprits” of the trade in US buy their products while traveling, online, or in shops in the US. Most of the time, they think the products are perfectly legal, which is not the case.
So why is the US staying up there with the bad boys? Yes, you guessed right. Traditional CHINESE medicine is gaining popularity in the US and nowadays it is not just being practiced by people of Asian origin. All sorts of people are administering and consuming this service. Americans are also into live exotic pets, which disturbs the equation further. But again, they believe it is legal.
US Special Envoy for wildlife trafficking issues, actress Bo Derek, is quoted saying, “It was very embarrassing for me to find out that the US is number two in consuming endangered wildlife,”
So what is your role as a caring and conscious American? Don’t leave the entire awareness creation process to your government – for they have launched a campaign to educate people on these issues. Go ahead and tell your neighbor that having a pet Iguana might actually be illegal. Tell them about the scale of illegal wildlife trade worldwide and help them form the graphic image of wildlife slaughter in Africa, Asia and South America to supply the market. Tell them about the wars fueled by the competition for the exctraction of these resources, and the women and children that suffer the consequences. That should convince them.
But who will educate China? Am sure there are many Chinese people who have resolved to change their countrymen’s perception about wildlife, and they are really working at it. Let us encourage them. Help them in any way you can. We cannot give up on China. Giving up on China, is giving up on wildlife.
Now, go do your country – and wildlife – some good.
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Feb 28th Liza H USD 11.00
14 Comments
Save your planet. GO VEGAN.
s.
In the recent conservation meeting I attended I was pleasantly surprised to hear that there is a nascent conservation community in China and that although almost nobody in China knows the word “conservation” their culture is very much in tune with nature. Unfortunately this concern seems to reside within the borders of the country and anything that comes from outside is ‘fair game’ (excuse the pun). The next Society for Conservation Biology meeting takes place in Beijing China so I’m looking forward to observing things first hand. I would love to have a behind the scenes tour.
Spot on “who is going to educate China”…. we most encourage them by any means we can, there most be hope since they are the largest growing digital market in the new media age and messages can be sent and recieved. Interesting about the next meeting in Beijing and like you said I would like to be a fly on the wall to just to observe !
Paula, are you going to Beijing? I know from supporting Animals Asia Foundation that there is an effort to make the Chinese people aware of conservation issue in their own country. It’s a start, but they need to catch up very quickly. As for the U.S. being number 2, I’m wondering how long we’ve had that status? Is this something we’ve “achieved” in the last, say eight years, or has the wildlife crime been a problem here for longer?
s.
This is very funny…
“So [secondly] we can confirm what we’ve always known:” the US is almost as bad for wildlife as China? Mm?
Education the answer? Evidently not,
clearly education is a complete waste of time and money.
Is there a single American who isn’t aware of conservation issues, who hasn’t been encouraged and educated on these issues over many many years?
The US isn’t “staying up there WITH the bad boys” it IS the no.2 Bad boy. But no, the US is not even culpable for its own errors, the reason it is no.2 is “traditional CHINESE Medicine”. It’s hard not to laugh.
American breaches are presented as innocent foolish mistakes while the Chinese are guilty of “deliberate and insensitive demand for wildlife products”…and the difference is?
China is no more or less self-interested immoral and grasping than any of the current or former great economic powers, but it may be a tad less hypocritical.
But let us help them, let us encourage them any way we can,
giving up on the US is giving up on Wildlife?
Bo Derek is the US Special Envoy for Wildlife Trafficking?
Enough said…
Point taken Wim but remember not everyone is American on this forum and we are more then aware of the short comings with regards to the US and others… So show us the way here in your non hypocritical way and take a stand against your traditional love for ivory, according to your delegates at the CITES meeting last week you need tonnes of it to upheld your culture heritage in ivory carving. I was born and brought up in northern Europe and we left behind our traditional ways of the Vikings some time ago and moved on !! Trust me it can be done.
It seems Wim enjoys posting when there’s a chance to bash Americans. I’m sure he can find another Internet forum where American-bashing is all the rage. Mostly, I find his comments stereotypical and boring, frankly.
s.
At the congressional hearing you mention in March (URL of the full hearing at http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/index.php?option=com_jcalpro&Itemid=65&extmode=view&extid=147) Wildlife Alliance spoke on the need to support wildlife law enforcement efforts, particularly the need to support anti-poaching and anti-wildlife trafficking efforts, in Asia. If poachers and smugglers don’t face the possibility of arrest and prosecution, what interest would they have in stopping their illegal activities? You can read more at the hearing testimony site or at our website.
Hi Michael,
Wildlife Alliance was at the National Zoo recently for a tiger symposium, I believe? Thanks for posting the link the the hearing. I’ll definitely watch it.
s.
Yes, Wim. “Enough said” on your part. I’d say, you need a little more research, a little less sarcastic snarkiness and moral superiority, and a little clearer world view. There, enough said.
Oh? Suddenly everyone wants fair and balanced editorial after that personal attack?
Thanks for at least seeing there was a point Anna (indeed not everyone here is necessarily American so we don’t have to be very kind to ourselves while rabidly condemning other nations: bias is bias), and for further asserting the moral authority of northern Europe and its apparently blameless worldwide history of centuries of conquest, empire and exploitation (not that it has a monopoly on that), not least, in Africa. My how you moved on from Viking times. Nice touch to attack me through an expediently imposed ethnic identity I don’t remotely possess (though you may have offended someone of Chinese ethnicity.)
Sheryl, you’re the one stereotyping, smearing those who dissent from your concept of blameless vegan piety is a Freedom Fry of a stategy but as a patriot you’ve done your bit in perpetuating the traditional witch-hunt. Please give examples of where I’ve habitually bashed Americans on this site? That’s a baseless smear, factual inacuracy or shall we say lie. The ends presumably justify the means but Sheryl, you’re just another blogger here and you’re not in a position to tell anyone to do anything..
Sherri, I claim no moral authority but I do indeed strive for a clearer world view, hence my post.
None of you hold the monopoly on indignation when it comes to abuse of wildlife or the environment by China or, indeed, by America. Everyone who comes here does so based on a deep felt wish to support those who try to conserve what’s left. Now, I ask you to read the original post again and ask yourselves whether the patience, respect and fairness we claim ourselves as a right might not be equally due to others?
People in glass houses…
I mean, even Bo was embarrassed.
I give that flame a 2, and I’m being generous.
s.
Yes, consider you flamers flamed.
Wim is right I sincerly am saddend to say. I live in Mazatlan and work for pronatura. I’m brainstorming to to see how save the parrots we have in Nayarit. Americans are educated they should know better. I’m fixed on the amount of organizations they’re are in the US and so much apathy. I was in Michoacan Mex couple months ago and tryed to physically stop a roadside parrot vendor. It was exciting and felt good. American live to vicariously. Barnes and Noble. Borders.
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