Article Publications
National Geographic: Even This Incredibly Elusive Bird Isn’t Safe from Traffickers
Pittas are almost impossible to spot in the wild. Though legally protected, they’re a common sight in Indonesia’s notorious bird markets. By Laurel Neme PUBLISHED Thu Feb 25, 2016 Pittas are a birdwatcher’s prize. Called “jewels of the forest” for their glorious plumage, these shy, secretive birds are almost impossible to spot in the wild. But…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Petition Seeks Ban on Trade in Fake Rhino Horn
Exclusive: NGOs express concerns that cultured rhino horn undercuts existing law and imperils wild rhinos. By Laurel Neme PUBLISHED Wed Feb 10, 2016 Trade in bioengineered rhino horn shouldn’t be allowed. That’s the contention behind a petition filed today with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by the Center for Biological Diversity, a U.S.-based group that uses science and…
Read MoreNational Geographic: One Country Will Destroy Its Ivory—and Pray for Elephants
Sri Lanka also becomes the world’s first country to apologize that elephants are being killed for their ivory. By Laurel Neme PUBLISHED Mon Jan 25 12:04:00 EST 2016 During the past several years, I’ve watched country after country destroy their stockpiles of confiscated elephant ivory, preventing that ivory from somehow slipping back into the black market and…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Myanmar Feeds China’s Pangolin Appetite
New study shows open availability of world’s most trafficked mammal in town bordering China. By Laurel Neme PUBLISHED January 19, 2016 Myanmar and pangolins. Not words I normally think of together. That’s why the recent report by TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade monitoring NGO, on pangolin trafficking in Myanmar took me by surprise. While I’ve followed…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Elephants Win as Hong Kong’s Leader Says It Will Ban Ivory Trade
Shutting down the world’s largest legal ivory market would be a conservation milestone. By Laurel Neme PUBLISHED January 14, 2016 Hong Kong’s Chief Executive, Leung Chun-ying, announced plans to ban the domestic ivory trade during his 2016 Policy Address. The annual speech lays out the year’s policy agenda. In the middle of the two-hour monologue, between statements on…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Why Shutting Down China’s Ivory Trade Won’t Be Easy
An undercover investigation shows how Chinese businesses launder illegal ivory into the legal market and also trade in illegal rhino horn. By Laurel Neme PUBLISHED Fri Jan 08, 2016 China is the world’s largest ivory consumer, with its legal market often providing cover for illegal ivory. The intertwining of these two markets—legal and illegal—is…
Read MoreNational Geographic: New Protections For World’s Largest Population of Giant Manta Rays
Peru and 12 other nations now seek to protect these creatures, whose meat and gill plates are coveted in China. By Laurel Neme PUBLISHED Fri Jan 08, 2016 Giant manta rays captured the world’s attention last April when a fisherman in northern Peru unintentionally caught a behemoth weighing 2,000 pounds (900 kilograms). The accidental snagging of this large ray…
Read MoreNational Geographic: How the International Trade in Geckos Is a Scam
The coauthor of a new report says low-profile species are often hit hardest by illegal and unsustainable trade. By Laurel Neme PUBLISHED Wed Jan 06, 2016 For many species threatened by the illegal wildlife trafficking, such as rhinos, elephants, tigers, and bears, debates persist as to whether a legal trade in their parts and products can reduce…
Read MoreHuffington Post: Chinese Researchers Explore Options for Ivory Ban
Posted: 12/16/2015 When Chinese President Xi Jinping announced in September 2015 that China would, together with the United States, work toward a complete domestic ban on ivory, it was a welcome step in the fight against elephant poaching. Yet it was also only the first step in a long road. Now comes the…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Chinese Researchers Explore How to Implement Ivory Ban
China has a 3,000-year tradition of carving ivory. Shutting down its thriving ivory market won’t be easy. By Laurel Neme, National Geographic PUBLISHED Tue Dec 15, 2015 When Chinese President Xi Jinping announced in September 2015 that China would, together with the United States, work toward a complete domestic ban on ivory, it was a welcome…
Read MoreHuffington Post: In Latin America, Illegal Wildlife Trade Explodes
Posted: 11/09/2015 With its spectacularly diverse ecosystems, rare and endemic species, remote terrain, often loophole-riddled laws and sketchy enforcement, Latin America is a haven for a booming illegal wildlife trade. South and Central America’s diversity is a magnet for wildlife traffickers…
Read More