Save wildlife, save humans
Wildlife crime is a big business. Illegal wildlife trade is said to be the world’s fourth largest international trade. People are exploiting millions of globally threatened plants and animals to make quick buck, ignoring how depletion of wildlife and plants can have profound consequences on future generations. The spike in wildlife trade globally has put years of conservation efforts hugely at risk. And the world is struggling to deal with the scourge.
In Nepal, wildlife poaching and smuggling their parts, particularly Asian big cats, is a major concern. The Environment Investigation Agency (EIA 2004), described Kathmandu as a “staging point” for regulating illegal skin trade from India to Tibet in the report “The Tiger Skin Trail”. Although Nepal is not the hub for skin trade anymore as it used to be in the early 1990s (EIA 2004), the country is being used as transit point for illicit trafficking of wildlife and its derivatives to international black markets.
Though Nepal has made strides in conservation of wildlife, poaching is yet to come to an end. Recently a one-horned rhino was killed by poachers in Chitwan National Park. Nepal has introduced stringent laws to combat poaching and wildlife trade. Nepal is also a signatory to the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
TRAFFIC, a monitoring group, claims that most of endangered species that need to be protected end up as trophies, special restaurant menu or as traditional Asian medicines. Apart from these, food supply, poverty, collection by museums and individuals, healthcare, clothing and ornaments and sports are other major causes of illegal and extensive wildlife trade. Misconception and belief on spiritual value about trophies and the myths that they have curative power also fuel wildlife trade.
Apart from humans, animals, plants, land, water and atmosphere are planet Earth’s natural assets. Saving these natural assets will mean saving the humanity. Loss of wildlife means losing agriculture diversity, without which we cannot build a secure food system to feed the planet. Yet another benefit of wildlife conservation is it provides us opportunities. Let’s observe the World Wildlife Day on March 3 this year with a commitment to make concerted efforts to protect wildlife.