Global marine terminal operator DP World has agreed to a set of 11 principles designed to help tackle the US$ 19 billion illegal wildlife trade. In a groundbreaking meeting in London last week, members of the United for Wildlife International Taskforce on the Transportation of Illegal Wildlife Products finalised the document that will shape the efforts of its transport and logistics sector members in the future.
The Declaration and Commitments cover a raft of issues from information sharing and detection, practical measures to stop the transportation of illegal wildlife products and a common determination to tackle the illegal trade, wherever it may be. The United for Wildlife Taskforce is a collaboration between key partners from the transport industry, international bodies and conservation organisations which was convened by HRH The Duke of Cambridge and is committed to focusing increased attention on efforts to combat the illegal wildlife trade as one of the most pressing conservation issues of our time.
Task force members led by the Rt Hon the Lord Hague of Richmond include DP World ; World Customs Organisation (WCO); Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS); Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES); International Air Transport Association (IATA); International Maritime Organisation (IMO); World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF); Wildlife Conservation Society; Wildlife Conservation Association; Emirates Airlines; DLA Piper; Kenya Airways ; IATA; United Nations Development Programme ; A.P. Moller Maersk; Maersk Line; COSCO Container Lines; Cruise Line International and DHL.