World Wildlife Crime
Report-2015-21
The third edition of the UN's World
Wildlife Crime Report states that
with all-out efforts and monitoring,
ivory and rhino horn trafficking has
seen a decline globally, however,
there has been no apparent
reduction in wildlife trafficking .
According to this report released in
Vienna, Austria, efforts like closing
Chinese markets and cracking
down on organized crime groups
have helped. In terms of mass
markets, rhinoceros, pangolins and
elephants were the top three
traded wildlife species.
Among the plants, cedar, rosewood
and agarwood were in high
demand. For example, in the case
of some plants and animals such as
orchids, the rarity of the species is
a driving force behind trade.
The report recorded the seizure of
wild animal and plant species in 162
countries during the period 2015-
2021. These included 4,000 plant
and animal species and 3,250 of
them were protected under CITES.
It is an important part of achieving
the CITES Strategic Vision, the
Kunming-Montreal Global
Biodiversity Framework and the UN
Sustainable Development Goals.
India has also seen incidents of
wildlife seizures at airports, ports
and land borders, especially in
states like Mizoram and Manipur.
According to the Trafficking in
India Report 2022-23, the Revenue
Intelligence Department seized
1,652 mammals, birds, reptiles and
amphibians species in 2022-23.
CITES, the International
Consortium on Combating Wildlife
Crime or ICCWC, Interpol, the
World Customs Organization and
the World Bank Group, as well as
UNODC, have worked together.
