Mongabay
Mongabay.com: Journey to oblivion: unraveling Latin America’s illegal wildlife trade
16th November 2015 / Laurel Neme 75 to 90 percent of trafficked animals die during transport, but profits are so lucrative that criminals continue emptying Latin America’s forests and oceans. The trafficking of elephants in Africa has gained tremendous media attention. Not so the illegal trade in birds, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and fish of Central and South…
Read MoreMongabay.com: Latin American illegal wildlife trade exploding in scope and scale
Mongabay Series: Latin American Wildlife Trade 4th November 2015 / Laurel A. Neme Millions of tropical birds, sharks, sea cucumbers, totoaba, queen conch, sea turtles, caimans and a vast number of other animals are falling victim to wildlife trafficking. Latin America is astoundingly biologically diverse, while its enforcement of wildlife trading laws is extremely weak, creating the perfect…
Read MoreMongabay.com: Wildlife forensics unmask poachers and traffickers
Mongabay WildTech 10th July 2015 / Laurel Neme When border agents seize two tons of smuggled ivory, how do they tell where it’s from? When meat on sale in Southeast Asia is suspected to be from a tiger, how can the police prove it? And when blood in a hunter’s truck is thought to come from a poached…
Read MoreMongabay.com: World Ranger Day: honoring our wildlife protectors
World Ranger Day: honoring our wildlife protectors Commentary by: Laurel Neme July 31, 2014 Like Memorial Day, when we honor our nation’s military veterans, World Ranger Day is a day to recognize and celebrate the thousands of rangers who put their lives on the line as they protect wildlife and natural resources around the world.…
Read MoreCelebrate World Ranger Day
Published: Thursday, 31 July 2014 Written by Laurel Neme World Ranger Day is a time to honor the people who put their lives on the line protecting wildlife. It doesn’t take much to say thank you. But it makes a difference. Saying thanks helps spread awareness about these unsung heroes. And it helps to…
Read MoreMongabay.com: CITES 40th Anniversary: Reflections of CITES Secretary-General John Scanlon
By Laurel Neme, special to mongabay.com March 04, 2013 Part 3 of 3 The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) is often hailed by scholars and conservationists as the most effective international environmental agreement. On March 3, CITES celebrates its 40th anniversary. What accounts for its success? In the following interview, CITES Secretary-General John Scanlon…
Read MoreMongabay.com: Elephant and Rhino issues to be debated at CITES 16th Conference of Parties
By Laurel Neme, special to mongabay.comMarch 04, 2013 Part 2 of 3PART 1: Overview | PART 2: Reflections of CITES Secretary-General John Scanlon When the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) meets from March 3-14 in Bangkok for its 16th Conference of Parties (CoP16), elephants and rhinos will be at the…
Read MoreMongabay.com: Overview of the CITES 16th Conference of Parties: Interview with CITES Secretary-General John Scanlon
Overview of the CITES 16th Conference of Parties in Bangkok By Laurel Neme, special to mongabay.com March 01, 2013 Part 1 of 3 When countries meet in Bangkok, Thailand for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) 16th Conference of Parties…
Read MoreA Tree Calls for Help
A new wireless device, called Invisible Tracck, can deter illegal logging by allowing authorities to track illegally cut trees in Brazil. Brazilian authorities will attach this small device onto valuable trees that might be targets for illegal loggers. If and when that tree is cut down and moved, the device will wake up and send a signal to authorities when it comes into…
Read MoreSumatran rhinos survive in northern Sumatra
Another piece of good news – this time related to the Sumatran rhino and reported on Mongabay.com. Using remote camera traps, wildlife rangers confirm the Sumatran rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) still inhabits the Leuser ecosystem in northern Sumatra, making that forest the only place on the Earth where Sumatran tigers, orangutans, elephants, and rhinos survive in…
Read MoreMongabay.com: Elephant slaughter continues in Chad, another baby rescued
Laurel Neme, special to mongabay.comAugust 07, 2012 ‘Toto’, a 3-week-old male elephant rescued by SOS Elephants. Photo courtesy of SOS Elephants Elephant poaching persists in southwestern Chad as poachers slaughtered more elephants on August 3, the second time in less than two weeks. In the first attack, the week of July 23, poachers killed 34…
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