Organized crime drives wildlife trade in the Amazon region

Transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) are using corruption as a method to smuggle wildlife in the Amazon, and environmental organizations and authorities in Latin America are on high alert to step up their efforts to combat these criminal practices, according to the conservation news platform. Mongabay reported in June.

“The illegal trade in wildlife is the third largest organized crime in the world, only drugs and weapons are worse,” said Argentine international relations and security expert Luis Somoza. dialog on July 23rd.

Accordingly MongabaySmugglers manipulate a variety of documents, from export licenses to microchips, to give their business an appearance of legality.

There have been numerous reports of bribes on transit routes originating in Brazil, including from government officials responsible for wildlife protection, the report adds.

“In recent years, criminal gangs have been illegally selling wildlife from Latin America all over the world,” said Somoza. “This type of business is often relocated to Asian countries, especially China.”

In its May report Washing wild animalsThe Brazilian foundation Transparency International has revealed that TCOs use sophisticated smuggling methods, including fraud and corruption of officials.

“It is shocking to see how these criminal organizations are structured,” says Dário Cardoso, a wildlife trafficking analyst and co-author of the report published in 2018. Mongabay“There are the typical suspects who collect, transport and trade wildlife, but there are also individuals who specialize in forging and altering documents, which gives the whole operation the appearance of legality.”

According to a report by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), at least 65 species of wild animals were smuggled by air in Latin America, the Caribbean and 53 other countries around the world between 2010 and 2020. These species included birds, reptiles, marine animals and mammals, according to the Colombian magazine. Week reported.

“Illegal wildlife trade is a problem we have faced in the region for centuries, and the high biodiversity of our countries puts us at risk,” said Yovana Murillo, director of the anti-wildlife trade program for the Andean, Amazon and Orinoco regions at the U.S.-based nongovernmental organization Wildlife Conservation Society. Week.

The smuggling organizations need a lot of money for their smuggling operations. “We have seen many cases in the Amazon region where the illegal trade in wildlife is financed by the drug trade,” said Melina Risso, research director at the Brazilian think tank Instituto Igarapé, which is dedicated to environmental protection. Mongabay.

Peru 21 The news site reported that wildlife trafficking also affects the Peruvian Amazon. For example, the Belén market in Iquitos, which serves 400,000 people, is the largest and most important open market for the sale of wildlife in the Peruvian Amazon.

Accordingly Peru 21This market is the epicenter of the illegal wildlife trade in the Amazon, where over 200 species are traded, 9 percent of which are threatened with extinction and 35 percent of which are experiencing declining wild populations.

The clandestine wildlife trade is leaving a devastating mark on Peru's rich biodiversity. From jaguars to delicate orchids, no species is safe from the maelstrom of illegal trade, according to the Peruvian news agency. Andean reported.

The most common victims include the yellow-spotted river turtle, the yellow-footed turtle and the iconic Lake Titicaca frog, all of which are caught to serve the exotic pet market. Andean reported.

“You have to understand that Latin America and the Caribbean are two areas of great biodiversity and these transnational criminal groups are exploiting the natural resources,” Somoza said. “There are public reports of high Chinese demand, driven by traditional medicine and unfounded beliefs, which has led to an extensive network of illegal groups operating in the region and smuggling wildlife into China.”

From 2012 to early 2018, more than 800 jaguars were killed in Central and South America for their teeth, skins and skulls to be smuggled to China. National Geographic reported.

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) World Wildlife Crime Report 2024While there are positive signs that trade in some iconic species has declined due to the dismantling of major trade networks and the suppression of demand in key markets, the overall situation remains bleak for thousands of protected plants and animals.

“Wildlife crime causes immeasurable damage to nature and threatens livelihoods, public health, good governance and our planet’s ability to combat climate change,” said Ghada Waly, Executive Director of UNODC.

For Somoza, the development of cross-border and cooperative security strategies in the Amazon region is crucial because environmental crimes know no borders.

“We need to strengthen police cooperation and information sharing between countries in the region to combat these types of criminal acts that harm wildlife and the people who live in the Amazon,” he concluded.