Article Publications
Huffington Post: Hong Kong Open to Closing Ivory Trade Markets (3)
By Laurel Neme Posted: 11/06/2015 In a major policy shift, Hong Kong–the world’s largest retail market for elephant ivory–says it may now consider banning its ivory trade. “The Government is open-minded on the ban on domestic trade” was how a spokesperson for Hong Kong’s Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) put it in an email…
Read MoreHuffington Post: Unraveling Latin America’s Illegal Wildlife Trade
Posted: 11/23/2015 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 America — a problem of epidemic proportion. Wildlife trafficking transit chains in Latin America are complex, secret, and as varied as the many common and threatened…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Take it to the People: Model for an Ivory Sales Ban
Posted: 11/24/2015 Elephant ivory seized by officials in Hong Kong. Photo courtesy of Alex Hofford. Voters in Washington state sent a strong message to the world on November 3 when they passed the country’s first-ever comprehensive state ban on commerce in endangered animal species. The Washington Animal Trafficking Initiative 1401 (I-1401) prohibits…
Read MoreHuffington Post: Take it to the People: Model for an Ivory Sales Ban
Elephant ivory seized by officials in Hong Kong. Photo courtesy of Alex Hofford. Voters in Washington state sent a strong message to the world on November 3 when they passed the country’s first-ever comprehensive state ban on commerce in endangered animal species. The Washington Animal Trafficking Initiative 1401 (I-1401) prohibits the purchase, sale,…
Read MoreMongabay.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 MoreNational Geographic: Hong Kong ‘Open-Minded’ to Banning its Ivory Trade
In a major policy shift, the world’s largest legal ivory market pledges new efforts to combat wildlife trafficking and may end ivory sales. By Laurel Neme, for National Geographic PUBLISHED October 28, 2015 Hong Kong—the world’s largest retail market for elephant ivory—says it may now consider banning its ivory trade. Hong Kong is also a major transit hub for…
Read MoreNational Geographic: Three-Year Timeline of Ivory Milestones in Hong Kong and Mainland China
For years, the Hong Kong’s government rejected eliminating its huge retail ivory market, and mainland China has shown itself to be more forward thinking. Yet recent events—including evidence showing that Hong Kong’s ivory traders use the legal market as a conduit for illegal ivory, public protests against the trade, and moves in mainland…
Read MoreHuffington Post: How Legal Markets Fuel Ivory Smuggling in Hong Kong
Posted: 10/27/2015 Hong Kong’s legal ivory market fuels ivory smuggling and elephant poaching says a new report by WildAid, an international nongovernmental organization that aims to eliminate illegal wildlife trade. Together with undercover video by independent investigators provided to WildAid and WWF-Hong Kong, the report, Illusion of Control, released Oct 23 in Hong Kong, reveals that ivory traders…
Read MoreNational Geographic: How World’s Largest Legal Ivory Market Fuels Demand for Illegal Ivory
New report shows that limited oversight of Hong Kong’s ivory traders allows laundering of illegal ivory through legal markets. By Laurel Neme, for National Geographic PUBLISHED October 22, 2015 A new report by WildAid, an international nongovernmental organization that aims to eliminate illegal wildlife trade, together with undercover video by independent investigators provided to WildAid and WWF-Hong Kong,…
Read MoreHuffington Post: Saving Elephants One Kid at a Time
Posted: 10/16/2015 Children’s voices can be extremely powerful–a fact readily apparent on a recent Sunday when more than 325 people–most of them children–participated in Vermont’s first kid-driven Global March for Elephants. The event was initiated by 12-year-old Taegen Yardley, who organized a network ofstudent “champions” at more than a dozen elementary and middle schools across…
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