24th October 2018 Guatemala City, Guatemala
I spent last weekend on the Pacific coast of Guatemala, in the rain. Rain, however, is what you need if you want to see one of nature’s most amazing spectacles – a female turtle coming ashore in the blackness of the night to dig a hole in the sand and lay 40 – 60 eggs. […]
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11th October 2018
Previous conferences on the illegal wildlife trade haven’t tended to feature much discussion of illegal logging and the trade in illegal timber – probably because most trees in international trade are not endangered species. Nevertheless, there are several common elements between illegal logging and the illegal wildlife trade. Both flourish in situations of weak governance […]
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15th February 2018 Vientiane, Laos
World Pangolin Day takes place on 17 February. The plight of these magnificent small scaly anteaters is often dwarfed by the illegal trafficking of ivory, rhino horn and wild cats, but their existence is in danger.
14th November 2016 Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Think of Mongolia, and you probably imagine impossibly open skies, the steppe flecked with horses and a solitary cluster of traditional gers (yurts). Mongolia is the least densely populated country in the world and one of exquisite natural beauty. Sitting in central Ulaanbaatar, a buzzing city of 1.7 million inhabitants, it can be hard to […]
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31st October 2016 Vientiane, Laos
As the Chinese government in recent years clamped down on illicit wildlife trade (IWT), smugglers and buyers have shifted much of their business to China’s small southern neighbour – Lao PDR. The Lao government is struggling to develop effective measures against the growing trade and the involved international syndicates. The United Kingdom together with other […]
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12th March 2014 Washington DC, USA
Africa has had a “bad start” to 2014. Or so I keep hearing. But I wonder, how does a whole continent have a bad start? Do a billion people collectively have a bad day? What people usually mean is that Africa has experienced a lot of violence this year. No denying that. Horrific atrocities in […]
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3rd March 2014
Late last year, the UN General Assembly decided to make March 3 World Wildlife Day. On this day in 1973, the UN adopted the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, affirming the intrinsic value of wildlife and its various contributions including ecological, genetic, social, economic, scientific, educational, cultural, recreational […]