27 June 2007
State’s McMurray Discusses Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking
USINFO Webchat transcript, June 27
Claudia McMurray, assistant secretary for oceans, environment and science at the State Department, participated in a June 27 USINFO webchat on the global threat to animals posed by wildlife trafficking.
Following is the transcript:
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of International Information Programs
USINFO Webchat Transcript
U.S. Efforts in Support of Wildlife Conservation and to Combat Wildlife Trafficking
Guest: Assistant Secretary of State Claudia McMurray
Date: June 27, 2007
Time: 10:00 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT)
Moderator: Welcome to today's webchat with Assistant Secretary of State Claudia McMurray. We look forward to hearing from you.
You may begin sending in your questions now, please remember that your questions will not appear on this screen until they are answered by today's guest speaker. We will begin at 1400 GMT.
Claudia McMurray: Hello to everyone and thank you for joining me on this webchat.
Today, we will discuss the global threat to the survival of animals posed by the illegal international trade in both wildlife and wildlife parts. You will see in the background material that this is a very lucrative trade that produces illicit profits of at least $10 billion per year. And it is largely conducted by the same professionals that engage in other international organized crime.
To address this important issue, we at the United States Department of State formed the Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking in 2005. We now have nineteen partners -- both governments and non-governmental organizations -- from around the world. The Coalition came together to demonstrate at a high-level that we share a very public commitment to stamping out this illegal trade. Specifically, our work is designed to stem both the supply of and the demand for these products. We are working to curb the supply by improving enforcement against wildlife trafficking. To curb demand, we seek to make the public more aware of the problem, and give tourists and others the information they need to determine what is legal and what is not.
I look forward to our discussion today. Thank you.
Moderator: Participants are welcome to submit multiple questions. However, we ask that you submit each question separately. Thank you.
Question [Ramesh]: Please could you throw some light on the Community Against Wildlife Trafficking (CAWT) program and its recent works. Thank you.
Answer [Claudia McMurray]: Thanks for your question.
The Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking (CAWT) was formed in late 2005 and has since engaged in several projects. The most prominent of these is our work with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. We worked with them to develop an enforcement network, called ASEAN-WEN. So far, the network has broken several criminal rings. For more information, please go to our web site, CAWTglobal.org. ASEAN-WEN is also developing their own web site, so you should check to see if it is operational.
Q [Regina]: In my opinion, much like anti-drug efforts, there are two ways to approach this problem: supply-side and/or demand side. Ms. McMurray, could you please describe the approach taken by U.S. and international partners. We must deal with destination markets for exotic animals. How do you respond?
A: Thanks for your question. You are right on target -- we are combating the same kind of crime as that of trafficking in drugs, weapons and people. CAWT (it now has 19 government and non-government partners) is combating the illegal wildlife trade by addressing both supply and demand. To address the supply issue, we are working to improve countries' capacity to enforce against and prosecute those who are engaged in this activity. To curb demand, we are developing several programs to improve public awareness of the problem, and to make clear what activity is illegal. Actually, web chats like this are part of our effort to make the public more aware.
Q [Ringo]: Are there any legislative measures preventing illegal private activity within reserve territories? This issue is quite topical in Armenia, you see.
Regardings, Ashot Gareginyan, journalist and lecturer
A: Thank you for your question. Most countries are parties to the Convention on Illegal Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which sets specific restrictions on trade in animals (and plants) that are listed under the convention. Once a country ratifies CITES, it will usually then enact laws to make the trade illegal within its own borders (including in reserves). Some countries (including the United States) also have laws that protect some animals that are not listed under CITES.
Moderator: The U.S. State Department Bureau of International Information Programs invites you to join its online discussions covering many topics of interest.
Learn more about upcoming webchats at our USINFO homepage.
Q [Ringo]: How it is possible to join the Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking? Can an NGO become a member of it, or is it open only for state bodies? And which real instruments of influence CAWT has?
Regardings, Ashot Gareginyan, journalist and lecturer Yerevan, Armenia
A: Thank you for your question. CAWT currently has 19 government and non-government partners. You can find the list on our web site, www.CAWTglobal.org. NGOs that work internationally on the illegal wildlife trade issue may submit a request to be considered for membership. CAWT partners are in the process of finalizing procedures to review any such requests.
Our web site also details some of the work CAWT has already done. In particular, we were very instrumental in the formation of the world's first regional Wildlife Enforcement Network, ASEAN-WEN. CAWT partners have also been successful in raising the profile of this issue to the highest political levels. You will see commitments to combat the illegal wildlife trade in recent statements of the G-8 Environment Ministers, the UN Forum on Forests and the UN Crime Commission. President Bush has also raised this issue with a number of world leaders, including President [Luiz Inácio] Lula [da Silva] of Brazil and Prime Minister [Manmohan] Singh of India. In addition, during the recent Strategic Economic Dialogue between the United States and China, this topic was on the agenda.
Moderator: Welcome Norway and others just joining us!
We do see your questions coming in. Questions will only appear on this screen after they have been answered by today's guest speaker. There are many questions coming in so we ask for your patience.
Q [Marek]: Dear Claudia McMurray, can you please tell us the current situation regarding ivory? As you know, the ivory sales threaten the very existence of elephants. What U.S. does to prevent ivory sales?
A: Thank you for your question. The UN Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) just concluded a two-week Conference of the parties. As has been the case for many of CITES' recent meetings, the trade in elephant ivory was a very important issue.
The Parties, with strong support from the United States, approved a decision that would prohibit consideration of proposals to trade in ivory for the next nine years.
The United States takes the current ban on ivory trade very seriously and we have one of the strongest records of enforcement in the world. Most states also ban trade in ivory.
Moderator: Read more about the recent CITES conference in the USINFO article, "Fight Against Illegal Wildlife Trade To Dominate CITES Meeting".
Q [June Edvenson]: Greetings from an American living in Norway. I recently read that pet birds are being smuggled across the border with Mexico, and from South American destinations, causing many of them to die in transit -- and that these losses are expected to impact the survivability of specific species in the near term. What is the U.S. doing to address this complex and difficult issue?
June Edvenson, Esq. Asker, Norway
A: Thank you for your question. You are absolutely correct, this is a very difficult issue, but one that the United States is committed to addressing. As you may know, we already have very stringent requirements for wildlife products and people coming into the country. They are subject to inspections by customs in all of our ports of entry and wildlife inspectors in many. So, it is difficult, but not impossible, to bring live birds into the country unless they are accompanied by a permit.
We also have a strong record of prosecuting this illegal activity. Our Department of Justice has several lawyers devoted to bringing these individuals to justice. One case we heard of recently from the Department presented evidence of an individual transporting bird eggs in his shirt and pants. Unfortunately for the individual, several of the birds hatched while he was in transit -- causing him to be apprehended before the plane landed. This is but one example of the lengths to which smugglers will go to engage in this trade.
Through the Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking, we are working with Chile and our other partners to combat this trade by improving enforcement in the countries from which these birds come. We also cooperate with Mexico on enforcement measures. We are also developing several public messages to inform Americans that the trade in endangered birds is illegal.
Q [Bina]: Hi, Bina from Iraq, environment in Iraq now on the top of pollution! of course this have affect on the world environments what do you think about this situation? Do you have any suggestion?
[In recent] weeks in one of the lake's in north of Iraq one of the farmers found a very big tortoise his age may be near 700 years the farmer directly sold it, I think one of the persons from one of the neighbor country buy it upon amount of money!!! It is horrible. My question is: do you have any comment or is there any boundary or rule to protect this unique animal?
A: Thank you for your question. I am not sure of the species of tortoise you mention -- it surely sounds unusual, and perhaps it is indeed an endangered species. If so, the rules of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) would apply and the trade in this endangered species would either be limited in some way or completely prohibited.
It is my understanding that Iraq has not yet become a party to CITES. Having Iraq join this very important treaty would be beneficial not only to Iraq, but to other countries around the world who are working to end the illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products.
Q [Kuba]: "Wildlife trafficking – the illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife parts – is a growing black market worth $10 billion a year."
If this is the case, the challenge is a great one. How can the new CAWT fight against the most powerful motive: profit? With that kind of money at play, I think it will be very hard to persuade poachers to stop.
A: Thank you for your question. You are indeed correct that this is a very daunting problem. In forming CAWT in 2005, the United States decided that we wanted to take it on and crack down on this criminal activity. It is obviously important to do so to prevent the threats to wildlife. It is also important, though, because cracking down on these criminals may shut down rings that traffic in people, drugs and weapons. Finally, we also were concerned about the threat of human disease transmission from animals that are transported in the illegal trade.
There are many ways we can combat this problem. First, we need to help developing countries improve their capacity to apprehend and prosecute smugglers. Second, we need to inform consumers of the enormity of this problem, and that their demand is directly contributing to it. But perhaps the most important thing governments can do is state at the very highest levels that this activity has got to stop. That is what the United States and the other CAWT government partners have said. And we have already gotten a strong statement from the G-8 countries to that effect.
So we are making progress. But, as you point out, there is a lot more work to do.
Moderator: We wish to thank Assistant Secretary of State Claudia McMurray for joining us today. The webchat is now closed. Please visit our USINFO Webchat Station homepage for more information on upcoming events.
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(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
