New research by EIA has shown that the volume of trade of some of the most widely trafficked wildlife commodities – raw ivory, pangolin scales, rhino horn and tigers – is now resurging after being temporarily supressed by the coronavirus pandemic.
It’s rare that statistics about the pandemic’s strangled industries bring us hope, but then most industries aren’t the illegal wildlife trade. In 2020, an 89.6 per cent drop in trade would have been deeply concerning, apart from the fact that it was related to raw ivory. A 77 per cent decline in the flow of goods would have been alarming, if those goods hadn’t been the scales of the persecuted pangolin. And a 75 per cent fall in commercial activity would have been unsettling, if this wasn’t linked to the trade in the horn of the endangered rhino.
Fall in trade in 2020
Analysis of the data shows that across four species monitored by EIA – elephants, pangolins, rhinos and tigers – the volume of goods seized worldwide fell sharply in 2020 to a fraction of 2019 levels.
In the first year of the pandemic, as our leaders told us to stay at home, the volumes of raw ivory bought and sold fell by 89.6 per cent, pangolin scales by 77 per cent, rhino horn by 75 per cent and whole tigers by 59 per cent.
Why were these falls so dramatic? Well, although there are nuances around the different species, the primary factor seems to be clear – the strict lockdown measures imposed by countries around the globe.
These measures prevented both habitually itinerant traffickers and the illicit wildlife commodities they covet from moving locally and internationally. Most importantly, the largest buyers of ivory, pangolin scales and rhino horn in Africa – Vietnamese and Chinese traders – were stuck at home in Asia, tightly locked down by fearful governments (see EIA’s 2020 blog While you’ve been in lockdown so have wildlife criminal and many of them have been working from home).
Trust in this already trust-less industry thinned even further. Wary buyers weren’t willing to part with their money without strong proof and insisted on seeing the goods in person. Ultimately, of course, border closures and travel bans made this impossible.
Read the full article here – EIA
