Stop the illegal online trade in wildlife

We need to raise awareness of the scale of the illegal online trade in wildlife products, particularly ivory. Help us protect elephants and their ivory from being traded illegally on the internet.

Urge your Minister to strengthen laws and crack down on this crime.

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Richard Benyon
Minister for Natural Environment

Dear Minister,

I am very concerned about the findings of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) supported INTERPOL investigation into the online ivory trade within the European Union.

The report revealed that there were hundreds of ivory items conservatively valued at approximately EUR 1,450,000 for sale during a two-week period on Internet auction sites in nine European countries. During this survey of sites by enforcers, more than 660 advertisements for ivory on 61 different auction sites were analysed and as a result of the surveillance, six national and three international investigations were launched in cases where ivory was described as new or where ivory was being traded from abroad.

I am pleased that so many enforcement agencies across the EU chose to take part in this INTERPOL operation, recognising the importance of tackling wildlife crime and the benefits that collaborating with INTERPOL and organisations like IFAW can bring in terms of expertise and experience.

However, I am very concerned by the findings of the investigation that highlight that the lack of clear legislation governing wildlife trade on the internet means that it is not possible to determine whether ivory and other wildlife products are being traded legally or not.

The Project WEB report noted that enforcement of online wildlife crime is in its infancy and called for specific e-commerce legislation regulating wildlife trade to be introduced in the EU, as well as for the establishment of multi-agency National Environmental Security Task Forces in EU member countries to tackle environmental crime.The investigation highlights a number of specific issues that arise out of the absence of e-commerce legislation, including the lack of requirement for sellers to prove the legality of their transaction and the need for an e-permitting system to clarify when wildlife is being traded by the rules. I ask you to introduce legislation to regulate online wildlife trade as soon as possible, to ensure all wildlife products are being traded legally.

I am also concerned by INTERPOL’s finding that the lack of prioritisation and capacity at enforcement and indeed political levels given to this issue is not sufficient to tackle the problem of wildlife crime. Therefore I ask you to give this issue greater priority and ensure that this growing problem receives the resources required to combat it.

Please take the action necessary to protect those endangered animals most at risk from illegal wildlife trade online before it is too late.

I urge you to crack down on illegal wildlife sales online by taking the following steps:

1. Ensure your police and customs units have a strategy in place that enables them to identify, investigate and prosecute criminal’s illegally selling wildlife and wildlife products online. 
2. Review and where necessary strengthen existing laws governing online wildlife crime. 
3. Engage with websites companies to ensure they are cracking down on wildlife criminals by working closely with national law enforcers.

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