Zac Goldsmith MP, London Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade Champion and John E Scanlon AM, Special Envoy, African Parks, write about their priorities for the London conference
Elephants and rhinos have roamed the earth for millions of years. Yet, through a mix of human greed, ignorance and indifference they, along with many other species, could be lost in the wild within our lifetime. It does not need to be that way. The London Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade in October gathers leaders from across every sector to bring the surge in illegal trade to an end.
Corals, elephants, rhinos, rosewood, parrots and pangolins share something in common. They are amongst the 7,000 species of wild animals and plants being illegally traded according to the United Nations, fuelling a USD20 billion-dollar a year illicit market that is driving some of our most cherished species to extinction.
Follow the link to read the news story in full on the Gov.UK website