Video: Protecting the Planet by Combating the Illegal Wildlife Trade

In July 2020, Animal People attended the annual United Nations High Level Political Forum as a member of the Animal Issues Thematic Cluster. As part of this event, Animal People Executive Director Wolf Gordon Clifton conducted a series of interviews with experts on various aspects of animal protection and sustainability. We will be releasing recordings of those interviews here on Animal People Forum.

In the video below, Dr. Mark Jones, head of policy for Born Free Foundation, speaks with Wolf Gordon Clifton about how wildlife crime harms humans, nonhuman animals, and ecosystems alike. Dr. Jones comments on topics such as the role of poverty and inequality in the wildlife trade, whether current laws are enough, and political obstacles that must be overcome to fight wildlife crime.

Featured image: illegal wildlife products seized by United States Fish and Wildlife Services. Image credit USFWS Mountain-Prairie, CC BY-SA 2.0.