ILLICIT WILDLIFE FOR SALE ALONG BURMA BORDER

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RANGOON 000423 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MLS; INR/EAP; OES FOR JMIOTKE AND EROSE; EAP FOR JYAMAMOTO; EEB FOR TSAEGER PACOM FOR FPA; TREASURY FOR OASIA:SCHUN E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/09/2019 TAGS: SENV ECON ETRD PGOV PINR BM SUBJECT: ILLICIT WILDLIFE FOR SALE ALONG BURMA BORDER REF: A. RANGOON 388 ¶B. RANGOON 221 ¶C. IIR 6 812 0114 08 RANGOON 00000423 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Economic Officer Samantha A. Carl-Yoder for Reasons 1.4 (b and d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) Burma's endangered species, including Bengal tigers, snow leopards, elephants, and bears, continue to be under threat, despite protection efforts by the Burmese Government and environmental NGOs. According to environmental contacts, trade in illicit wildlife species, including tiger and elephant parts, continues to thrive along Burma's borders with China and Thailand. Poaching and sale of endangered animals are likely to continue, as poachers, traders, and villagers use the income from sale of illicit animal parts to supplement their meager incomes. End Summary. No Enforcement of Wildlife Laws -------------- ¶2. (C) Burma is one of the most biologically diverse countries in Southeast Asia, with a number of endemic animal species, including Bengal tigers, Asian elephants, and more than 1,000 species of birds. Burma has 34 protected areas, including wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, and tiger and elephant ranges (Refs A and B). According to U Uga, Director of the Biodiversity and Conservation Association (BANCA), local environmental NGOs such as BANCA and Wildlife Conservation Society (which established a tiger reserve in 1999) are the driving force behind animal conservation in Burma. Burma is a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES),he observed, but the GOB does little to enforce the Burmese Wildlife Protection Act, which outlaws the poaching and sale of protected animals. U Uga noted that the law does not provide coverage for all of Burma's endangered animals, including several species of large cats, turtles and tortoises, and birds. Supply Meets Demand -------------- ¶3. (C) U Than Myint, WCS Country Director, told us there are fewer than 200 tigers left in Burma (Ref B). Burma's tiger population and other endangered cat and bear species are under threat of poaching, as certain animal parts are highly prized and lucrative in China. For example, U Than Myint learned from several traders in Mong La, along the Thai-Burma border, that a tiger skin can sell for up to USD 20,000, while the skins of other cats sell for up to USD 15,000, depending on the species. While there are no official estimates of endangered species slayings, U Than Myint, who collaborated with TRAFFIC Southeast Asia on its 2008 Wild Cat Trade in Myanmar report, estimated that based on NGO observations of what is sold at markets, more than 500 wild cats are killed each year. Poachers are generally Burmese, although U Than Myint surmised that the majority of wildlife traders are of Chinese or Thai origin. ¶4. (C) Animal skins, skulls, and other parts are readily RANGOON 00000423 002.2 OF 002 available in markets along the Burmese borders with Thailand and China due to high demand from these countries, U Uga stated. Indeed, during a trip to Mong La in 2008, Embassy staff observed vendors successfully selling a variety of live animals, including tortoises, cobras, frogs, lizards, and birds; tiger bones and skins; ivory tusks; tortoise shells; and bear skins (Ref C). While environmentalists expected that the world financial crisis would reduce demand for high-value parts, U Than Myint reported that demand, particularly from China, remains high. Traders in Muse and Mong La markets told WCS staff that total sale values actually increased in 2009 compared to the same period in ¶2008. ¶5. (C) The sale of animal parts is against the law, but Burmese law enforcement officials turn a blind eye to the illicit activity, and often take a cut of the profits, U Uga stated. He noted that many products are smuggled into neighboring countries through illegal border trade. Law enforcement officials on both sides of the Burma border make little effort to enforce international environmental conventions. Clear Economic Benefits -------------- ¶6. (C) Despite NGO efforts to educate the public about the importance of protecting endangered species, Burmese continue to slay endangered animals for profit, U Than Myint said. He observed that from an economic standpoint, poaching brings in higher profits than farming or providing services. Income earned from poaching and the subsequent sale of wildlife parts from just one endangered animal can sustain a Burmese family for an entire year, U Than Myint stated. U Uga added that until the Burmese Government enforces CITES and its own Wildlife Protection Laws, poaching and sale of endangered animals will continue. DINGER