the poaching crisis and how to tackle illegal wildlife trade under the spotlight in London

With mounting evidence showing that traffickers are switching from physical markets to virtual ones, wildlife cybercrime will be a key aspect of the conference. IFAW’s recent research into wildlife cybercrime highlighted the vast quantity of live animals and their body parts available for sale online.

Tania McCrea-Steele, International Project Manager, Wildlife Crime, with IFAW said: “The internet provides wildlife traffickers access to a vast international marketplace – one without borders that is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, where wildlife cybercriminals exploit the anonymity afforded to them online. Many online marketplaces and social media platforms are working hard to stop this but we all have a part to play. If we don’t buy, they don’t die.”

Over just six weeks in four countries, IFAW identified advertisements for 11,772 endangered and threatened specimens worth more than £3m. IFAW research has uncovered thousands of wildlife products and live animals for sale, from ivory tusks and rhino horn products to live big cats, orangutans and gorillas, available just by tapping a smart phone.

To combat the threat posed by online wildlife traffickers, it is critical that public and private sectors unite to find solutions.

With the UK ivory bill progressing through Parliament, there is increasing pressure for the EU, Japan and other key countries to follow suit and close their domestic ivory markets to protect elephants. IFAW believes ivory should only be valued on a live elephant. More than 500 ivory items, from carvings to whole tusks, have been handed over by members of the public in recent months in response to IFAW’s latest UK ivory surrender to put ivory beyond use.

McCrea-Steele added: “As organised criminal gangs are using ever more sophisticated means for trafficking ivory, we too are using pioneering methods to stop poaching and wildlife trafficking, from community involvement to hi-tech innovation. We need to create a network to defeat a criminal network.”

For more information or to arrange interviews with IFAW’s team of experts at IWT please contact Clare Sterling in London on mobile +44 (0)7917 507717 or email csterling@ifaw.org Skype interviews are also available on request.

Follow IFAW updates on Twitter via @Action4IFAW, @IFAWUK and @IFAWUKPress

The Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) Conference takes places on October 11 and 12 at Evolution, Battersea.

More information on the Conference is available here.