ROUTES Representation at EU Action Plan Against Wildlife Trafficking Anniversary Event

The EC’s Directorate General of the Environment organized an event focused on engaging the business sector, including the transport sector in the EU, in line with the actions set out in the Action Plan.  ROUTES members Airport Council International (ACI), the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and TRAFFIC shared their experiences working under the Partnership and highlighted actions taken by the transport sector to address illegal wildlife trade, including engaging in Public-Private Partnerships, developing stakeholder groups at the airport level, and moving towards integrating wildlife trafficking red flag indicators into automated risk screening systems.

Complementary to ROUTES, the Buckingham Palace Declaration was noted as a way for the transport sector to show a united commitment to address the issue of wildlife trafficking. Resources available to industry, including training materials, assessment tools and videos developed with ROUTES support, were highlighted as available resources for industry to employ to respond to the Buckingham Palace Declaration and EU Action Plan.

European companies were called on to acknowledge the risks posed to them by trafficking of wildlife through major air transport hubs and passenger routes, both within Europe and by companies operating internationally, and were encouraged to take action on wildlife trafficking. At the end of the event the EU Commissioner for the Environment Karmenu Vella and EU Commissioner for Security Union Julian King noted that the Action Plan EU WAP was designed to be a framework involving all relevant stakeholders and welcomed the interest by the business sector, and the value that their expertise could bring when working together. The meeting highlighted that there is still confusion over the illegal and legal trade of wildlife and in particular, the transportation of legal wildlife and associated products and the necessary documentation.