China CWT: Pioneering Solutions to Combat Wildlife Trafficking
Wildlife trafficking is any illegal use of wildlife that includes an element of commercial trade, usually for economic profit.The illegal supply (including commercially driven hunting, killing, capture, collection), sale, purchase (online and physical), transport, import, export, processing, stockpiling or consumption of wild fauna and flora (including their parts, products, and derivatives), in contravention of sub-national, national, or international laws, regulations, agreements, or treaties.
Since establishing our office in Guangzhou in 2007, Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) China Counter Wildlife Trafficking (CWT) program has emerged as a world-leading team in combating wildlife trafficking, with a mission to address the global nature of this critical issue. Our work is rooted in Southern China and extends globally, recognizing that wildlife trade is a complex, international phenomenon with sources and impacts spanning the entire planet, with China being one of the most important players.
The Team
Our team of 10 is predominantly composed of women, each bringing a diverse range of backgrounds and expertise, including experience in environmental policy, international relations, biology, management science, agriculture, and sociology. We are a dynamic and self-motivated team, believing that our work is supported by the collective goodwill of people around the globe who share a deep concern for wildlife and a vision for a better world. We are committed not only to saving and protecting wildlife but also to building a more just, safe, and nature-friendly human society.
Conservation Challenges
We live in a world with fewer wild places, less wildlife, and a worsening climate crisis. And within urban areas, people are increasingly disconnected from the rest of nature. The human footprint has grown dramatically, to the point that less than 23% of the planet remains wild. A 2019 United Nations report confirmed that as many as 1 million species are in danger of extinction by the end of the century. The world has made important progress creating protected areas which now cover 15% of land and 7% of the ocean; yet, even with this progress, many ecosystems are not well protected as many protected areas are poorly funded and not managed effectively. Wild populations of many species continue to decline inside and outside of protected and conserved areas, driven by habitat transformation and overexploitation.
Goals
Our mission is to reduce the threats posed by commercial trade to wildlife through pioneering, evidence-based research, multi-stakeholder engagement and innovative solutions. By providing robust evidence and actionable insights to policymakers, regulators, businesses, civil society organizations and consumers, we aim to empower stakeholders to adopt nature-friendly practices and build a society with zero-tolerance for wildlife trafficking.