"Target The Kingpins, Not Just The Poachers":
IFAW is shifting its strategy to target high-level criminal syndicates behind the $23 billion illicit wildlife trade rather than focusing solely on poachers. The organization highlights the need for better intelligence and enforcement at major transit hubs.
Why it matters
Wildlife trafficking is a major global organized crime issue that threatens biodiversity and requires transnational cooperation.
IFAW’s Strategy to Disrupt the USD23 Billion Illicit Wildlife Trade
In the shadowy underbelly of global organized crime, wildlife trafficking ranks as the fourth most lucrative illicit trade, generating an estimated USD23 billion annually and trailing only narcotics, firearms, and human trafficking. Criminal networks exploit regulatory loopholes, adapt smuggling routes, and thrive amid corruption—turning East Africa into a critical source, transit, and consumer zone for endangered species, including elephants (for ivory), rhinos (for horn), pangolins (for scales), and cheetahs (trafficked as cubs toward Middle Eastern markets).
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