Today, the White House released the National Strategy for
Combatting Wildlife Trafficking. The
Department of Justice, along with the Departments of State and the Interior,
are co-chairs of the U.S. Task Force established by President Obama to lead the
implementation of this strategy. On
Thursday, Associate Attorney General Tony West will lead the U.S. Delegation’s
participation at the London Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade.
"The Department is pleased to be a part of this
interagency approach to combating illegal wildlife trafficking,” said Associate
Attorney General West. “Record high
demand for wildlife products, coupled with inadequate preventative measures and
weak institutions, has resulted in an explosion of illicit trade in wildlife in
recent years, with the increasing involvement of organized transnational
criminal syndicates. This trade
undermines security, fuels corruption and contributes to the spread of disease,
and it is decimating iconic animal populations.
The National Strategy identifies priority areas for interagency
coordination, with the objectives of harnessing and strategically applying the
full breadth of U.S. government resources.
Combating this problem will also require the shared understanding,
commitment, and efforts of the world’s governments, intergovernmental
organizations, NGOs, corporations, civil society and individuals. At this week’s London Conference on the
Illegal Wildlife Trade, we hope other countries will join us in taking
ambitious action to combat wildlife trafficking.”
The Department of Justice has long worked to protect
threatened and endangered wildlife species through its enforcement of the Lacey
Act and Endangered Species Act, as well as related criminal statutes.
“The president has called upon DOJ and more than a dozen
other federal agencies to combine forces to more effectively battle this
pernicious trade, which is growing at an alarming rate and threatens the
survival of protected species both at home and abroad,” said Acting Assistant
Attorney General Robert Dreher for the Environment and Natural Resources
Division. “The release of today’s
National Strategy to Combat Wildlife Trafficking is a welcome next step in our
longstanding efforts to protect threatened and endangered wildlife
species. Strong enforcement is critical
to stopping those who kill and traffic in these animals, whether on land or in
the oceans. At the same time, the
Strategy recognizes that enforcement alone is not enough to stop
traffickers. We must also work to reduce
demand for illegal wildlife products.
This is not a fight that the United States can win alone; under the
Strategy, we will build relationships with local and global partners who share
our commitment to ending wildlife trafficking.”
The Environmental Crimes Section of the Environment and
Natural Resources Division and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices around the country bring
criminal prosecutions under these laws against, for example, people who are
found smuggling wildlife and plants into the United States. There is a major
worldwide black market for some endangered species or products made from
them. The main federal agencies that the
Division represents in this area are the Fish and Wildlife Service and the
National Marine Fisheries Service.
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