In 2019, the illegal wildlife trade reached staggering levels. Pangolin scales and ivory were being trafficked in massive quantities from Africa to Asia, exposing a network of crime syndicates operating at an industrial scale. The sheer volume of these shipments marked a disturbing milestone, one that revealed the global reach …
The illegal international trade in environmentally sensitive items such as ozone depleting substances, toxic chemicals, hazardous waste, and endangered species is a serious problem with global impact. This scourge which affects all countries threatens human health, deteriorates the environment, and results in revenue loss for governments in some cases. In …
The Jammu and Kashmir Government's clean slate denying any reported case of illegal possession of shahtoosh items has come under tough scrutiny before the Supreme Court. At pains to implement a State law banning trade in shahtoosh items for the past five years, the Court took the State's assertion with …
Issues relating to protection of the planet continue to capture media headlines and provoke public and political debate. The United Nationsʼ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has referred to global warming as a ʻweapon of mass destructionʼ (IPCC, 2007). However, global warming is not the only earth-threatening issue – there …
In a survey of ivory items for retail sale conducted in June 1999 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, almost 10,000 ivory objects were found, the fourth largest in Africa after Abidjan, Harare and Cairo. In 2004 TRAFFIC and the CITES Secretariat gave encouragement and technical help to the Government of Ethiopia …
In Jodhpur range, from 1991 to May 2007, the state's forest department has registered 650 cases under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Of these, 391 are minor crimes, such as cutting wood or grazing animals in the forest, for which offenders are let off after a fine. Of the remaining …
The unique and beautiful Tibetan antelope, or chiru, is in imminent danger of extinction from illegal hunting. At current rates of hunting, the species may be extinct in the wild within two years. The chiru is hunted for its underfur, which is used to make a very fine wool called …
As an animal high on popularity charts, the tiger has fascinated and awed generations for centuries. However, with its range confined to 14 Asian countries today, its distribution has more than halved and so have its numbers. With the tiger facing a serious challenge in its entire distribution range, the …
With tigers gone in Sariska, and unchecked poaching threatening tiger populations in many other reserves, is the Indian tiger finally destined for extinction? Hopefully, with a flurry of activity at the highest levels, the tiger might just get another chance at survival.
Assam has a proud legacy of successfully conserving the great Indian one-horned rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis) and presently holds two-thirds (66.9%) of the world’s wild population of about 2500. The gradual shrinking and fragmenting of habitat are ominous threats for this species’ struggle for survival. Of particular importance is the threat …
