Odisha Samachar Odisha Breaking News , Odisha Current News , Odisha News
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 22 March 2021 – Amidst a global biodiversity crisis, Hong Kong
authorities seized a record breaking 649 metric tonnes (MT) of rare and
endangered wildlife in 2018 and 2019, according to a report released today by ADM Capital Foundation (ADMCF), which
monitors the trade through the city.
Photographs: Paul Hilton / Earth Tree Images, further press materials:
http://bit.ly/2OTHc9b
In its latest wildlife trade report, “Still
Trading in Extinction: The Dark Side of Hong Kong’s Wildlife Trade” ADMCF detailed
Hong Kong’s growing wildlife seizures (2018-2019), prosecutions (2017-2020) and
the city’s continuing role
in the global illicit wildlife trade.
Based on government data, the report shows that volumes of
wildlife seized in 2018 and 2019 surpassed all annual totals for the preceding
decade with the exception of 2015. Figures indicate a shift in trade dynamics
with a decline in ivory in trade following the local ban, pangolins at
devastatingly high levels and a worrying diversification of other endangered
species seized.
Indeed, the “Other
Endangered Species” seizures, including everything that is not ivory,
pangolin or wood, were at an all-time high in 2019, a threefold increase over
the previous year, which itself was a threefold increase since 2017.
“It is vital that decisive action is taken to change our
city from being a hub for the illegal wildlife trade to become a global leader
in the fight against it” said Sophie le Clue of ADM Capital Foundation. “If not, we will continue to inflict
irreversible damage on the world’s biodiversity and suffer impacts long into
the future.”
Facilitating enhanced enforcement to stem the illegal
trade in Hong Kong, a Member’s Bill submitted by Hong Kong law maker Elizabeth
Quat was tabled in LegCo’s Environmental Affairs Panel today. The proposed policy reform to amend the Organised and Serious Crimes Ordinance
(OSCO) to include wildlife offences in its schedules, could demonstrate
Hong Kong’s global leadership in combating wildlife trafficking.
“This bill to amend OSCO is
urgently needed and we commend the government for responding to the global
biodiversity crisis” Said Amanda Whitfort, Associate Professor of Law at The
University of Hong Kong.
The 1,404 seizures over the two years
reflected in the report also included almost 7,000 live animals. This meant
that in 2019 alone, over 2,300 seized endangered animals had to be euthanized by
government authorities.
“The unrelenting rise in Hong Kong’s wildlife seizures is a clear
signal that we cannot continue to ignore the wildlife traffickers who exploit
our city” said Dr David Olson, Director of Conservation at WWF-Hong Kong.
Wildlife
contraband seizures consistently rank within the top five customs seizures in
terms of value, annually. The value of 2018-2019 seizures was estimated at HK$207
million according to government data.
Sentences for convicted carriers ranged
from a fine of HK$300 to 32-months imprisonment. “Enforcement in the wildlife
trade typically focuses on carriers of the products instead of investigating what
are often syndicates behind the trade” said Dorothy Cheng of WildAid Hong Kong.
Members of Hong Kong’s Wildlife Trade Working Group
formally delivered a co-signed letter to the Chairman of Panel on Environmental
Affairs, in support of the Member’s Bill.
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