Page 74 - World Airnews Magazine May 2020 Edition

NEWS DIGITAL

RUNWAY TO EXTINCTION:

Airports and airlines in every region of
the world can assist with fighting wildlife
trafficking

past ten years.
"This report highlights the widespread, pervasive nature of
Last year, more than one million illegal wildlife products and wildlife trafficking by air, with each major world region impacted.
live animals were seized from wildlife traffickers at airports, with Our analysis shows that traffickers of all types exploit the same
approximately one seizure recorded every day. vulnerabilities within airports, often using the same trafficking
A new analysis of wildlife trafficking seizures in air transport methods to circumvent law enforcement and airport authorities.
reveals the illegal wildlife trade to be truly global in scope, Furthermore, seizure data shows that many wildlife trafficking
encompassing additional airport locations as each year goes by. networks rely on the same smuggling methods over time,
The report, Runway to Extinction: Wildlife Trafficking in the suggesting that a thorough understanding of airport-specific or
Air Transport Sector, produced by C4ADS as part of the USAID country-specific trafficking patterns could be instrumental in
Reducing Opportunities for Unlawful Transport of Endangered reducing the air transport system's vulnerability to trafficking,"
Species (ROUTES) Partnership, details how traffickers operating said the report’s author Mary Utermohlen, Program Director at
in every populated region of the world rely on similar trafficking C4ADS.
methods and utilize the same vulnerabilities within the air In addition to contributing to the extinction of endangered
transport sector as traffickers of other illicit goods. species, threatening local livelihoods, and undermining regional
Runway to Extinction examines the trends, transit routes, and and global security, illegal wildlife trade is a risk factor for the
trafficking methods used by wildlife smugglers exploiting the spread of zoonotic diseases. According to the Center for Disease
aviation industry in six world regions: Africa, the Americas, Asia, Control, three out of every four new or emerging infectious
Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania. diseases originate in animals. Many of the species seized in air
The information in the report is complemented by the ROUTES transport—including live birds, live reptiles and mammals are
Dashboard, which enables visitors to filter and view information high-risk carriers of zoonotic diseases and may end up in illegal or
on wildlife trafficking incidents in the air transport sector over the unregulated markets around the world.

World Airnews | May Extra 2020
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