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Despite crackdown, ‘demand keeps China’ on wildlife smuggling map
- Wildlife Justice Commission says South Korea-China shipping route should be flagged as ‘high risk’ for trafficking
- WJC says case involving Chinese family shows criminals are resourceful and can adapt if demand for ivory persists
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China will continue to be a major destination for the global illegal wildlife trade because of its demand for wildlife products, particularly for traditional Chinese medicine, according to The Hague-based Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC).
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“Whilst continued pressure on the trafficking networks is essential, demand reduction and education are also very important,” a spokeswoman for the non-profit foundation said.
The WJC said demand persisted in China despite a crackdown on the trade, including introducing a total ban on elephant ivory sales in late 2017.
The commission also said the South Korea-China shipping route should be flagged as “high risk” for wildlife trafficking.
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It found that South Korea “appears to be increasingly popular among wildlife smuggling networks as a transit location”, where 26 seizures of shipments destined for China have been recorded since 2013, involving more than 23 tonnes of ivory and 10 tonnes of pangolin scales.
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