2nd June 2016, 2pm Woodrow Wilson Building,

Many endangered species are being hunted to near-extinction. Illegal wildlife trade is now the fourth largest global illegal trade behind illicit drugs, guns and human trafficking, valued at $15 – 20 billion annually. Globally, there is growing action, including a UN call for fast-track solutions to the poaching crisis and new enforcement initiatives by governments across the globe.

One of the most important of these efforts is the recent U.S.-China cooperation.S uccessful public education campaigns in China have been pivotal in raising awareness and driving down consumption of some endangered species, such as a campaign that spurred government bans of shark fin soup at official events and dropped its consumption by an estimated 50 percent. But there are some areas of deep concern.
With an eye on China, this panel of wildlife, legal and conservation experts will examine the scope of the illegal global trade in wildlife, as well as the perpetrators and consumers that drive it and the laws that regulate it. The speakers will reflect on the successes and challenges of bodies that enforce illegal wildlife trade laws within and beyond China’s borders, will detail innovative public education campaigns, and finally, discuss the way forward.

– See more at: https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/wild-laws-china-and-its-role-illicit-wildlife-trade?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiWWpWbU5XSTRaakExWVdJeSIsInQiOiJHZVNZakg0cjdlSk1FYW9OU2pBWWdmZFVSQXlNR0xRTHc1VTZpV2tCT1BCcFR2RzRzYzdZdGtBT0RJT29LWWQ2SzFJYTdScGoyYWJtR09hd0pHSjBNV1k3bld5Yzl0cUMxUXpRTWNEczg4UT0ifQ%3D%3D