First High Level Conference Held in South America to protect wildlife

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The first ever conference between government, intergovernmental, and non-profit organizations took place in Peru with the intentions of better protecting South American wildlife. This meeting brought together several people and organizations all working together to sign partnerships within the region to tackle the illegal wildlife trade. This meeting resulted in the signing of the Lima Declaration, a formal agreement in addressing the illegal wildlife trade and a commitment to finding solutions.

South America holds almost 40% of the world's biodiversity and over one quarter of its forests making it a rich area for the illegal wildlife trade. Whether it's organized crime groups sourcing illegal elephant ivory or internally with the sale of exotic birds and reptiles as pets, the illegal wildlife trade is rampant and extensive which is why this meeting indicated the urgency in tackling the illegal trade.

One of the animals on this list the meeting focused on was the jaguar. Jaguars are being hunted to extinction across the globe but in South America, they are being hunted for their body parts which are being used in medicines that have absolutely no proven positive effects. Jaguars are crucial to the survival of their ecosystem and are a widely respected animal in South America. The illegal wildlife trade is putting them in grave danger of extinction which will have sever adverse effects on their ecosystem. I've spoken about this before but wild predators are imperative o the survival of a habitat as without them, other plant based animals will become abundant leading to more of the natural plants to be consumed. This imbalance will have devastating effects on the ecosystem leading to further problems that will continue to spiral.

Organized crime is dependant on several factors including a sophisticated network. bribery, and cooperation between large groups of people which is why it's crucial that there is community support in tackling these organizations. This meeting concluded that there needed to be interference in every aspect of the industry including demand, communication, and reporting suspicious activity to law enforcement. Without full cooperation, the trade will continue to flourish. 

This meeting marked a very important first step in protecting South America's imperiled wildlife. 

HAPPY VEG