New EU initiative to halt biodiversity loss and combat wildlife crime
EuropeAid’s new flagship initiative EU Biodiversity for Life (B4Life) is designed to halt biodiversity loss, fight wildlife crime and develop green economies in Least Developed Countries and those containing ‘biodiversity hotspots’, such as Madagascar, the Congo Basin, the West African forests, Tropical Andes and Mesoamerica. Ecosystems and their services in those and other areas covered by the programme are among the richest but also the most threatened of the world.
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illegal wildlife tradeJanez PotočnikCecilia MalmströmB4Life
Consultation: European Commission seeks views on how to fight against dramatic increase in wildlife trafficking
The Commission has launched a public consultation on how the EU can be more effective in combating wildlife trafficking. This comes in response to a recent global surge in poaching and illegal wildlife trade, which is now at unprecedented levels for some species. More than 1000 rhinoceroses were poached in South Africa in 2013, compared to 13 in 2007, with a rhino horn now being more valuable than gold.