THE ATLANTIC RAIN FOREST WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING ASSESSMENT

UNCLAS BRASILIA 000799 SIPDIS DEPT FOR OES: LSPERLING, CDAWSON, SCASWELL, STATE PASS USAID FOR LAC/RSD, LAC/SAM, G/ENV, PPC/ENV SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SENV XM XS BR SUBJECT: THE ATLANTIC RAIN FOREST WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING ASSESSMENT REPORT Ref: Brasilia 0771 ¶1. SUMMARY: The Brazilian National Network to Fight the Trafficking of Wild Animals - RENCTAS, launched The Atlantic Rain Forest Wildlife Trafficking Assessment Report on May 2, 2007. The report indicated that the poaching and trafficking in wild animals such as monkeys and parrots is reaching a critical state in Brazil. END SUMMARY. ¶2. The assessment report entitled "Wildlife -Preservation and Destruction Narrow Threshold - the Brazilian Atlantic Rain Forest Wildlife Trafficking Assessment Report - Central and Serra do Mar Corridors" was launched by RENCTAS on May 2nd, 2007 at the Brazilian House of Representatives. Supported by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund and Atlantic Rain Forest Conservation Alliance, this event was designed to draw attention to the growing problem of wildlife trafficking and to discuss methodologies for sharing information in order to address this issue. Some of these methodologies included creating a wildlife crimes database, constructing and updating website information about wildlife trafficking, and bringing together and informing organizations that work directly on combating criminal activity. ¶3. According to the RENCTAS report, poaching and trafficking in wild animals such as monkeys and parrots is reaching a critical state in Brazil's Atlantic rain forest and has become a lucrative secondary source of income for drug traffickers. Police confiscations have risen to more than 50,000 captured animals in 2005, up from 15,000 five years earlier. ¶4. RENCTAS estimates Brazil accounts for about 10 per cent of the world's illegal trade in wild animals. It is further estimated that nearly half of the animals - mostly parrots and other birds - go to Europe and the United States. The global trade in poached animals and their hides, tusks and bones is worth $US10 billion to $US20 billion a year, ranking third after arms and drugs trafficking. ¶5. RENCTAS warned that a recent government decision to reorganize the Brazilian Environmental Protection Agency IBAMA (see reftel), could increase animal trafficking. SOBEL