FORUM: the Environment Commission

FORUM: The Environment Commission

QUESTION OF: Eradicating Pathways for illegal wildlife trade and the introduction of invasive alien species to global ecosystem

MAIN SUBMITTER: Afghanistan

CO-SUBMITTERS: Mexico, Pakistan, Kenya and Chile

THE ENVIRONMENT COMMISSION,

Reminding that maintaining the balance of ecosystems is essential to long-term economical development, biodiversity and the survival of humans,

Recalling on March 2017, 183 countries are members of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES),

Appreciating organizations such as World Wildlife Fund (WWF) that help tighten and enforce legislation for illegal wildlife trade,

Noting with regret that Low Economically Developed Countries (LEDCs)’s agriculture sector of economy involves a major part of wildlife trafficking,

Taking into consideration that between 35,000 to 50,000 African elephants are poached each year,

Defining Invasive Species as an organism that is not native and has negative effects to economy, environment or health,

1.  Requests to strengthen many legislations to the CITES with punishments such as but not limited to:

a.  issuing a fine of approximately 10,000 USD and 1 year of prison for each item of illegal trafficking

b.  attending lectures after their prison years about animal compassion and the reasons to protect our animals and will be supported by funding;

2.  Calls upon member nations to employ border patrol agents to check all cargo goods in any transportation devices using ways such as but not limited to:

a.  security cameras to verify the faces of smugglers

b.  permission that police can check all goods

c.  scanners to detect animals trafficked in these transportation devices

d.  passport to see which country they are from;

3.  Asks member states that do find illegally trafficked invasive species to follow the legislation of CITES and return animals and plants back to the original, natural habitats;

4.  Encourages funding from all organization pertaining illegal wildlife trade such as Worldwide Wildlife Foundation (WWF) and the government to implement solutions such as but not limited to:

a.  improving technology of the border controls such as:

i.  borders with electric wires and security cameras

ii.  border’s entrance has a scanner like Titan transmission electron microscope (TEM) then scans the vehicle and can sense animals trafficking

b.  create campaigns to spread awareness in ways such as:

i.  creating posters

ii.  spreading the message with the messages about wildlife trafficking using social media and the possible effect that this issue can lead to

iii.  gathering and events to spread awareness and earn fund such as games involving the topic of animals, healthy food market with no endangered animals for sale

iv.  using these campaigns to encourage donations of money and materials

v.  having hotlines to talk about this issue in a more private level

vi.  creating websites pertaining eradicating illegal wildlife smuggling and trafficking

vii.  giving public speeches

c.  ensuring that all illegal trafficking wildlife items are returned to the original animals home and is not anyone’s possession

d.  helping projects from organizations, non profit organization (NPO) and non governmental organization (NGO) pertaining the topic of wildlife trafficking and smuggling;

5.  Promoting public and private school classes and public ceremonies if they are willing to teach citizens about eradicating wildlife trade such as but not limited to:

a.  Several possible wildlife concepts such as:

i.  animal cruelty

ii.  illegal animal trafficking

iii.  endangered animals

iv.  goods made out of animals;

b.  blending wildlife trading concepts into their classes and projects such as the mixing of wildlife trading concepts will not influence normal class procedures;

6.  Urges nations who participate in CITES to amend government rules that support the reduction of illegal wildlife trading in black markets using ways such as but not limited to:

a.  better funding police forces to find evidence and tools to discover the location of these black market using ways such as but not limited to:

i.  security camera

ii.  website control like the China Firewall

iii.  the right to check stores goods

b.  following the CITES terms;

7.  Stressing that all nation states that agree to CITES will ensure these safety measures to protect their animals, especially endangered animals against poachers or illegal trafficking and smuggling using ways such as:

a.  implementing borders of electricity wires, security cameras, and police forces that will only have few volts that does not harm the animals much but signals that it should not be touched in places such as:

i.  official government protection of animals

ii.  places of endangered animals

b.  all poaches who poached inside these borders will need to show the polices which animals they have poached;

8.  Encourage national parks in countries with higher poaching incidences to ensure that ecosystems and habitats are safe and species are living in peace within by ways such as but not limited to:

a.  ensuring that poaching within national parks occurs only with a permit issued by authority to verify that the area protected are kept as a safe habitat for wildlife

b.  contributing to WWF with their new innovative camera and software system that detects human activities in protected areas like national parks.