At 7 p.m. local time on August 18th, the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) successfully held the “To Create a Sustainable Future for Pangolins” side event during the 18th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP18). Dr. Zhou Jinfeng, Secretary-General of the CBCGDF; Dr. Alice Hughes, Deputy Secretary-General of the CBCGDF; Chris Hamley, Senior Project Officer of Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA); Adam Peyman, Executive Director of Humane Society International, and Astrid Andersson from the University of Hong Kong shared and discussed the pangolin conservation issues.

As the first participant, Dr. Alice Hughes, Deputy Secretary-General of the CBCGDF, elaborated on the illegal trade and consumption of pangolins. Wildlife trade is the fourth largest illegal trade in the world, with an annual trade value of about $20 billion. As the world’s largest smuggled mammal in number and scale, pangolins mainly flow to China and Vietnam, resulting in a significant reduction in the number of pangolins in the past decade. Dr. Alice cited a series of shocking survey data: about 20 tons of pangolins are illegally trafficked worldwide every year; from 2010 to 2015, law enforcement worldwide collected more than 120 tons of pangolins (including the pangolin scales); from 2004 to 2014, more than 1 million pangolins were traded illegally; it is estimated that a pangolin is killed in every five minutes… In May 2015, Vietnam formally banned the use of pangolin scales in any medical insurance (medicine). At present, there are still about 25 tons (25,000 — 50,000) of pangolin scales use in Chinese medicine per year in China. In October 2018, the 70th Standing Committee Meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) proposed a complete termination of pangolin trade. However, online pangolin trading using the e-commerce platform is very difficult to monitor. In addition, although social media is the main platform for wildlife trade, such illegal trade is gradually turning to the dark web.

Chris Hamley, Senior Project Officer of EIA, shared the background of the pangolin trafficking crisis, the case of organized transnational criminal groups, and possible solutions to such crises. From 2013 to 2016, the number of pangolins smuggled and trafficked around the world increased sharply. According to the survey, China, Vietnam, Nigeria, Cameroon, Malaysia, and Tanzania ranked the highest number of pangolin scales trading in the world. In view of illegal pangolin trade, it is urgent to close the pangolin medicine market and strengthen law enforcement, including strengthening the censorship and cracking down on the online illegal trading.

Adam Peyman, Executive Director of HIS Project, focused on the global efforts to protect pangolins, including improving law enforcement procedures, enhancing law enforcement capacity-building, participating in pangolin rescue and wild release, as well as raising public awareness. Many CITES Parties and NGOs have taken active action to protect the eight pangolins listed in the Appendix I. Poaching and trafficking cause the serious challenges to the survival of pangolins, and action at the national level and targeted planning programs are extremely important. He also introduced the efforts made by the US charity organization Annamitcus, Save Vietnam’s Wildlife, Tikki Hywood Foundation in Zimbabwe and African Pangolin Working Group in South Africa to promote pangolin conservation.

Astrid Andersson, a doctoral student at the University of Hong Kong, introduced the trade and consumption of pangolins in Hong Kong, China, as well as the monitoring of pangolins. Pangolin scales are still on sale in Hong Kong. Can pangolin scales inventory continue to be sold? How to distinguish between pangolin scales in stock and the newly poached ones? These are all problems need to be solved in the future. Astrid also mentioned that there were huge misunderstandings about pangolins among the public in Hong Kong: 39% and 51% of the interviewees in random interviews believed that pangolin scales and meat had medical value and were effective in treating rheumatism, eczema, diabetes, and cancer; 27% of the interviewees believed that eating pangolin scales and meat was legal.

Dr. Zhou Jinfeng, Secretary-General of the CBCGDF, shared with the participants the progress made by the CBCGDF in the protection of pangolins in recent years. From “the year of transition of Pangolin’s fate” in 2017, to “the year of pangolin’s inventory” in 2018 and to “the year of pangolin’s justification” in 2019, the CBCGDF called for the revision of the “Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China” as well as the abolition of pangolin’s medication. The CBCGDF has exposed the individuals “pangolin prince” and “pangolin princesses" for illegally eating pangolins; prosecuted the inadequate rescue of pangolins in Guangxi forestry department; established the Pangolin China Conservation Area; participated in the rescue work of five pangolins in Guangdong; and the volunteers of CBCGDF went to Nigeria to investigate the local pangolin consumption condition.

CBCGDF will continue its efforts to protect endangered wildlife such as pangolins. At the same time, we sincerely hope that more people will join us and act together to focus on the future of pangolins.

This side event has received the support of the Chinese Association of Science and Technology (CAST) for the participation of young scientists in international organizations and related activities in 2019. Sincerely appreciated for the support from the CAST!

(Note: the data and opinions quoted in the sharing of speakers represent their personal views only.)

(Photo credit: CBCGDF)

Original Chinese article:

http://www.cbcgdf.org/NewsShow/4937/9657.html

By / Xue Tongtong