combatting illegal wildlife trade in China

Solution

We combat global wildlife crime by tackling every link on the illegal trade chain—from source, to transit to destination. As the Chinese government raises ecological civilization into a national governance strategy, the protection of the ecological environment including wildlife has become a national policy and law.

• Promote stronger policies and laws to curtail illegal markets 

We advocate for stronger wildlife policies and laws in China, believing that clear and strong laws prevent wildlife trafficking loopholes, enhance law enforcement efficiency and create social stigma around wildlife consumption. One of our core campaigns involves shutting down the domestic ivory market.  

• Conduct wildlife crime research and support effective law enforcement, online and offline 

In order to change laws and transform the marketplace, we monitor wildlife markets online and offline, and share intelligence with law enforcement agencies that leads to market crackdowns and criminal prosecution. We’ve also supported the establishment of China’s multi-agency enforcement task force and catalyzed enforcement actions by providing workshops and training along with practical tools for front-line enforcers.

• Collaborate with relevant industries to adopt a zero-tolerance policy and take action 

Since 2007, we have collaborated with global e-commerce companies to make online marketplaces unavailable for wildlife trade. As online wildlife crime adapts to new technologies so do our tactics. We monitor wildlife markets, help develop keyword filters, train online company staff and provide intelligence to law enforcement., 

• Raise consumer awareness and mobilize society to reject wildlife parts and products 

Everywhere we work, we collaborate with public and private partners to affect meaningful and sustained change for animals. We developed and implemented demand reduction activities using social and behavior change communication (SBCC) as an approach to change attitudes, social norms and behaviors around illegal wildlife trade. Media companies routinely provide promotion space for IFAW’s culturally sensitive and socially motivating campaigns creating a social norm to stigmatize wildlife consumption.

Impact

• Since China banned domestic commercial ivory trade in 2018, enforcement and prosecutions are up, ivory trade and price have come down.
• The Chinese government, acting on a tip from IFAW, banned the auction of tiger bone, rhino horn and elephant ivory in December 2011. The ban resulted in a 90% reduction in auction sales of elephant ivory in the next year, triggering the first drop in elephant poaching in an onslaught that claimed the lives of 100,000 African elephants in three years.
• Since 2018, multiple workshops facilitated by IFAW have enhanced cross border collaboration between Customs agencies in China and Southeast Asian countries and regions, resulting in large seizures of wildlife parts and products in multiple Asian ports.
• Since 2008, the Chinese internet giants’ Zero Tolerance policy against wildlife cybercrime sets an example for the world.