Wildlife Trade Statements

David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation’s position on trade, projects and transparency.

Whilst we as an organisation are anti-trade, we accept that the issues in the conservation landscape are complex and we make it our business to ensure that we maintain communications and relationships with organisations who have a different position to ours on wider conservation issues.

This means that, in the name of conservation, our team is able to access information and have a deeper understanding of operations at all levels, which would otherwise be closed to us and which would therefore limit our overall understanding of issues on the ground.

DSWF operates in many countries which have different views on consumptive and sustainable use of wildlife products to the Foundation but that does not mean we simply shy away from the work being done at ground-based level for species survival.

These countries are often some of the most key conservation areas and landscapes. We ensure that we work within clear and transparent parameters with partners in countries with opposing views, without compromising our core values and objectives, and we report accordingly.

As an organisation funding projects in Africa and Asia, we feel strongly that we should always engage in dialogue with those who hold different views to ours, so as to best inform all aspects of our conservation work.

This allows us the capability of considering every eventuality and gives us a better understanding of the reality of what is happening both on the ground and at international policy level. Thereafter we work tirelessly to fight the war on wildlife crime.

The illegal pangolin trade:

The elusive pangolin is the most trafficked mammal in the world. Pangolins are sought after for their meat, scales and other body parts for use in traditional medicine markets in China and Vietnam. With all four species of Asian pangolins now listed as critically endangered, traffickers are turning their attention to Africa’s pangolins.

Read DSWF’s position on the international and domestic trade of pangolins.

The illegal ivory trade:

Every year, tens of thousands of elephants are slaughtered for their ivory at a brutal and unsustainable rate, driving this iconic species towards extinction.

Criminal syndicates and ivory dealers employ armed poachers to brutally kill and remove their tusks before feeding them into the illegal market.

Read DSWF’s position on the international and domestic trade of ivory.