The Coalition blocks millions of wildlife crime listings

(April 24, 2023 – Beijing, China) China internet companies removed 12.27 million listings and posts of endangered and threatened species from their online platforms since the launch of the Coalition to End Wildlife Trafficking Online.

The Coalition, which includes WWF (World Wildlife Fund), TRAFFIC (Trade Records Analysis of Flora and Fauna in Commerce), and IFAW, this week celebrated its fifth anniversary by recapping its achievements since its 2018 launch.

The Chinese Coalition members also analyzed the latest trends of illegal trade on the internet in China, and discussed priorities for the next years.

“The Coalition plays an important role in strengthening the capacity building and user education of online technology companies, preventing illegal wildlife trade online and cooperating with law enforcement departments to combat wildlife crime,” said Ziming Wan, the Deputy Director-General of the Wildlife Protection Department of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration of China (CITES National Management Authority).

“I shared the best practices from China in the side event during the CITES COP19 last year, and I hope the Coalition keeps developing and applying more technical means to effectively prevent illegal wildlife trade online and contribute Chinese solutions to the international community.”

In China, the Coalition established streamlined coordination with relevant government and law enforcement agencies and adopted innovative and effective methods to inform online users about wildlife conservation policies and regulations. 

The Coalition works with and encourages the public to embrace eco-friendly behavior. The social media campaigns implemented by Coalition members have received over 1.1 billion likes and interactions.

“Moving forward, we aim to further facilitate cross-sector communication and collaboration, and cooperate with internet companies to incorporate combating illegal wildlife trade and supporting biodiversity into their corporate ESG construction,” said Grace Ge Gabriel, Senior Advisor for Asia Affairs with IFAW.

“Through these efforts, we aspire to amplify the Coalition's impact on the global governance of cyber wildlife crime.”

Over the last five years, the number of Coalition members has more than doubled from 21 to 47, ranging across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas, including 26 Chinese companies. A total of 2,344 staff from Chinese companies have received training provided by the Coalition, which enhanced their ability to detect and combat wildlife crime. 

Thirteen Chinese Coalition members have been awarded ‘Best Practice’ recognition for their innovative practices in combating illegal trade on their respective platforms. These included: Alibaba, Baidu, Douyin, Huya, Kuaishou, Tencent, Wen Wan Tian Xia, Weipaitang, Zhuanzhuan , Wanwudezhi, Shengshishoucang , 58 and Visual China Group etc.

Ends

Press Contact: 

Sabrina Zhang 
Communications Manager 
Tel: 86 10 64402960
Email: qzhang@ifaw.org

Notes to Editors:

About the Coalition to End Wildlife Trafficking Online:

The rapid development and disruptive impact of wildlife cybercrime has attracted extensive attention of conservation groups and internet companies. In March 2018, IFAW, WWF and TRAFFIC joined forces with 21 internet giants including Alibaba, Baidu, Google, Microsoft and Tencent to form The Coalition to End Wildlife Trafficking Online . At present, the Coalition consists of 44 member companies across the tech sector. Working across technology and conservation sectors, the Coalition is creating consistency in policies and monitoring across the Internet, which provides a largely unregulated space for wildlife traffickers to identify interested buyers and initiate transactions. Since launching in 2018, the Coalition has doubled in size and includes operations across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
For more information, please visit: www.endwildlifetraffickingonline.org

About the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)  

The International Fund for Animal Welfare is a global non-profit helping animals and people thrive together. We are experts and everyday people, working across seas, oceans and in more than 40 countries around the world. We rescue, rehabilitate and release animals, and we restore and protect their natural habitats. The problems we’re up against are urgent and complicated. To solve them, we match fresh thinking with bold action. We partner with local communities, governments, non-governmental organisations and businesses. Together, we pioneer new and innovative ways to help all species flourish. See how at ifaw.org