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New study sheds light on illegal wildlife trade in Hong Kong – A high volume and lucrative black market business

21 Jan 2019

(Image credits and captions from left to right) BY ADRIAN STEIRN - Pangolins are the world’s most traded mammal – the scales are used in traditional Chinese medicine and the meat served as a restaurant delicacy in many parts of Asia.
BY ADRIAN STEIRN - The vast stockpile of confiscated elephant tusks inside Zimbabwe’s ivory vault in Harare. In 2016, the vault held more than 90 tonnes of ivory.
By Neil Aldridge - Sedated and blindfolded, this white rhino was transported from South Africa for release in Botswana’s Okavango Delta, as part of an initiative to restore rhino populations to that country.

The 200 page report: Trading in Extinction: The Dark Side of Hong Kong’s Wildlife Trade, illustrates the city’s central role in global wildlife trafficking and the extent and nature of the associated criminality.

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Press materials can be downloaded here: https://www.admcf.org/research-reports/trading-extinction-press-materials/

Hong Kong's illegal wildlife trade is contributing to a global extinction crisis. Every year millions of live animals, plants and their derivatives are illegally trafficked into and through Hong Kong, by transnational companies and organised crime syndicates.

There is an urgent need for the government to enhance its current enforcement strategy against wildlife smuggling. Over the last decade, the diversity of endangered species imported into Hong Kong has increased by 57%. At the same time, the estimated value of the trade has increased by 1,600%. Since 2013, seizures of illegal ivory, pangolin scales and rhino horn have been made by Hong Kong authorities, potentially equating to the deaths of 3,000 elephants, 96,000 pangolins and 51 rhinoceros.

Hong Kong's illegal wildlife trade is increasing in volume, underestimated in value and contributing to the global extinction crisis.

Some members of the Hong Kong Wildlife Trade Working Group (HKWTWG) have joined forces to publish a study focusing on the type and volume of seizures relating to illegal wildlife trade in Hong Kong over the last 5 years. The findings documented in the 200 page report: Trading in Extinction: The Dark Side of Hong Kong's Wildlife Trade, illustrate the city's central role in global wildlife trafficking and the extent and nature of the associated criminality. It identifies clearly, how future policy and enforcement could be improved to provide the urgently required long-term sustainability.

Associate Professor Amanda Whitfort of the Faculty of Law, one of the authors of the report said: "Wildlife crime in Hong Kong remains under-policed and under-investigated. Wildlife smuggling is not regarded as organised and serious crime, under Hong Kong law. Failure to include wildlife smuggling as a crime under the Organised and Serious Crime ordinance, Cap 455, hampers authorities' powers to effectively prosecute those behind the networks and syndicates that take advantage of Hong Kong's position as a major trading port."

"Our research indicates Hong Kong has become a hub for organised wildlife smugglers, with consequences for the international reputation of our city as well as international biodiversity," said Lisa Genasci, CEO of ADMCF, adding that "Extinction of elephants, rhino, pangolin and many other species in our lifetime is on the horizon, unless the illegal trade is stopped."

Shall you have any questions about this conference, please do not hesitate to contact:
Communiqué: (852) 2850 5990
Liberty McCarthy | Liberty@communiquehk.com | (852) 5300 0624
Jo Chan | jo@communiquehk.com | (852) 6112 9337

ABOUT THE HONG KONG WILDLIFE TRADE WORKING GROUP (HKWTWG)
Established in 2015, the Hong Kong Wildlife Trade Working Group is a loose coalition of Non-Government Organisations, academics, legal professionals and experts in Hong Kong, with a specific interest in the wildlife trade. The report Trading in Extinction: The Dark Side of Hong Kong Wildlife Trade is a collaborative effort of some of its members including: ADM Capital Foundation (ADMCF), Animals Asia, Bloom Association (HK), The University of Hong Kong (HKU), Civic Exchange, Hong Kong Shark Foundation (HKSF), Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (KFBG), The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), Teng Hoi Conservation Organisation, University of St. Andrews, WildAid and WWF-Hong Kong.

ABOUT ADM CAPITAL FOUNDATION (ADMCF)
Established in 2006, ADM Capital Foundation (ADMCF) aims to promote equity and environmental conservation in Asia. Through research, the foundation identifies environmental challenges and then works towards solutions across five key areas: marine conservation, water security, air quality, wildlife trade and forestry conservation finance.

Media Contact:
ADMCF
Mr Sam Inglis
Environment Research Manager, ADMCF
si@admcf.org

Ms Sophie Le Clue,
Director, Environment Programme, ADMCF
slc@admcf.org

University of Hong Kong
Ms Amanda Whitfort
Associate Professor, HKU Faculty of Law
whitfort@hku.hk

Ms. Melanie Wan
Communications and Public Affairs OfficeU
melwkwan@hku.hk

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