Europe working on monitoring trade and promoting international enforcement collaboration

TRAFFIC in Europe

Europe is one of the largest and most diverse markets for wildlife and wildlife products, serving as both an end market and transit hub for wildlife products in trade.

The removal of internal border controls since the formation of the European Union's (EU) single market has created new avenues and opportunities for transboundary wildlife crime. New smuggling methods and routes are actively sought out by traffickers to avoid detection, making close international collaboration a high priority. We're working to identify threats from unsustainable trade and consumption in Europe, as well as supporting governments in their efforts to detect and prevent illegal trade.

some areas of focus within wildlife trade in Europe

Explore priorities we're working on within wildlife trade in Europe and their links to our wider projects.

Europe's trade in wildlife products is extremely diverse, varying from wild plant ingredients and wildlife-based medicines to threatened birds and exotic pets. Germany for example is a major consumer, producer, and processor of medicinal and aromatic plants, with imports worth US$250 million in 2015 alone. 

TRAFFIC is helping to implement the FairWild Standard as a framework for the sustainable harvesting of wild plants in several European countries—an ancient trade that support the livelihoods of some of Europe's most impoverished communities. Supporting the implementation of CITES and enforcement agencies is another major priority within Europe, as well as assessing new trade trends and wildlife commodities.