At
last some major government action against wildlife crime
November 2012. Hillary Clinton, U.S. Secretary of State, has issued a stern
warning against illicit trafficking of wildlife products. She announced that
the U.S government is keen to pursue a policy on non-trafficking and wildlife
security. Clinton said that the global value of illegal wildlife trafficking is
as much as $10 billion per year, ranking it as one of the largest criminal
transnational activities worldwide along with arms, drugs and human
trafficking. The following is a (large) extract from her speech.
Now, some of you might be wondering why a Secretary of State is keynoting an event about wildlife trafficking and conservation, or why we are hosting this event at the State Department in the first place. Well, I think it's because, as Bob Hormats has just pointed out, and as the public service announcements reinforce, over the past few years wildlife trafficking has become more organized, more lucrative, more widespread, and more dangerous than ever before.
Now, some of you might be wondering why a Secretary of State is keynoting an event about wildlife trafficking and conservation, or why we are hosting this event at the State Department in the first place. Well, I think it's because, as Bob Hormats has just pointed out, and as the public service announcements reinforce, over the past few years wildlife trafficking has become more organized, more lucrative, more widespread, and more dangerous than ever before.
As the middle class grows, which we all welcome and support, in many nations items like ivory or rhinoceros horn become symbols of wealth and social status. And so the demand for these goods rises. By some estimates, the black market in wildlife is rivalled in size only by trade in illegal arms and drugs. Today, ivory sells for nearly $1,000 per pound. Rhino horns are literally worth their weight in gold, $30,000 per pound.
What's more, we are increasingly seeing
wildlife trafficking has serious implications for the security and prosperity
of people around the world. Local populations that depend on wildlife, either
for tourism or sustenance, are finding it harder and harder to maintain their
livelihoods. Diseases are spreading to new corners of the globe through
wildlife that is not properly inspected at border crossings. Park rangers are
being killed. And we have good reason to believe that rebel militias are
players in a worldwide ivory market worth millions and millions of dollars a
year.
So yes, I think many of us are here
because protecting wildlife is a matter of protecting our planet's natural
beauty. We see it's a stewardship responsibility for us and this generation and
future generations to come. But it is also a national security issue, a public
health issue, and an economic security issue that is critical to each and every
country represented here.
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