Runway To Extinction Report - Asia

Main Takeaways: 

• Asia is by far the world’s largest demand region for trafficked wildlife and wildlife products.

• Asian trafficking routes extend to every region, sourcing live animals and wildlife products from all over the world.

• China dominated every seizure and trafficking instance count in the analysis, likely due to extremely high demand for trafficked wildlife driven by a large population, effective enforcement, and good reporting.

• Trafficking of Asian species has declined as their population numbers have fallen, and Asian trafficking networks appear to increasingly rely on species found mostly in Africa to satiate demand.

• Although Asian species are in decline, sufficient numbers remain to support significant intra-Asian trade in reptiles, birds, pangolins, and marine species. Ivory, rhino horn, and mammal products are also trafficked intra-regionally, perhaps supported by wildlife demand markets throughout East and Southeast Asia that import from other world regions and trade amongst themselves.

• Reptile trafficking in Central and Southeast Asia, however, is still widespread.