Traffic (conservation programme)

Traffic (conservation programme)
Name	TRAFFIC
Caption	Conservation logo
Formation	1976
Type	Non-governmental organization
Purpose	Wildlife trade monitoring and conservation
Headquarters	Cambridge, United Kingdom
Region served	Global
Parent organization	WWF

Traffic (conservation programme)

Traffic is an international conservation programme focused on monitoring and regulating the trade in wild animals and plants. Founded in 1976, it works to inform policy, support enforcement, and collaborate with stakeholders to reduce biodiversity loss linked to wildlife commerce. The programme operates across continents, engaging with multilateral bodies, national agencies, and civil society to address illegal and unsustainable trade.

History

Traffic originated in 1976 following initiatives by World Wide Fund for Nature and International Union for Conservation of Nature to address concerns raised at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) meetings. Early activities involved surveys of markets in Hong Kong, Thailand, and United Kingdom cities, influencing discussions at the CITES Conference of the Parties. During the 1980s and 1990s, Traffic expanded with regional offices in Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America and provided evidence used in cases before national courts, Interpol operations, and World Customs Organization initiatives. In the 2000s, Traffic published pivotal assessments on taxa such as African elephant, tiger, pangolin, and rosewood, contributing to proposals adopted at CITES COP14 and CITES COP17. Recent decades saw Traffic collaborating with United Nations Environment Programme, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and national ministries to respond to emergent threats and to implement demand-reduction campaigns in cities including Beijing, New Delhi, and London.

Mission and Objectives

Traffic's mission centers on ensuring that international and domestic trade in wild species is sustainable, legal, and traceable. Objectives include producing evidence for policy instruments like CITES, supporting implementation of national legislation such as statutes administered by agencies like U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Environment and Climate Change Canada, and strengthening enforcement through partnerships with institutions such as Interpol and the World Customs Organization. Traffic aims to influence multilateral processes including negotiations at the Convention on Biological Diversity and to provide technical guidance used by ministries of Forestry and portfolios responsible for biodiversity in countries such as Brazil, Indonesia, and South Africa.

Programmes and Projects

Traffic implements programmes targeting specific taxa and commodities: anti-poaching and trade monitoring for African elephant ivory and rhino horn; supply-chain assessments for timber species including Dalbergia (rosewood) and Swietenia (mahogany); trade analyses for pangolin species and for shark fins. Projects span regions, with initiatives in the Greater Mekong to tackle illegal logging, in Central Africa addressing bushmeat and exotic pet trade, and in Amazonas focusing on timber and ornamental fish. Traffic runs demand-reduction campaigns in metropolitan markets such as Shanghai, Bangkok, and Dubai and develops forensic tools used by laboratories like those at the Smithsonian Institution and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew for species identification and chain-of-custody verification. It also supports capacity-building workshops for customs and wildlife crime units affiliated with national police forces in countries including Vietnam, Mozambique, and Peru.

Research and Policy Influence

Traffic produces peer-reviewed reports and policy briefs that have informed decisions at CITES Conference of the Parties, influenced national amendments to endangered species lists in jurisdictions like the European Union and United States, and underpinned enforcement operations coordinated by Interpol and the World Customs Organization. Its research employs methods drawn from conservation science practiced at institutions such as University of Cambridge, Yale University, and Zoological Society of London and uses data shared with databases maintained by IUCN Red List and Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Traffic’s analyses on market trends for species such as tiger, pangolin, and African elephant have been cited in submissions to the Convention on Biological Diversity and used by donors including Global Environment Facility and World Bank to allocate funding.

Partnerships and Funding

Traffic partners with non-governmental organizations including World Wide Fund for Nature, Conservation International, and Wildlife Conservation Society and collaborates with governmental agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (Philippines), and ministries in China. Funding sources include philanthropic foundations like MacArthur Foundation and Arcadia Fund, multilateral donors such as the Global Environment Facility and United Nations Development Programme, and contracts from agencies including European Commission and national development agencies. Academic partnerships link Traffic to universities including University of Oxford, University College London, and Stellenbosch University for joint research and student training programmes.

Impact and Criticism

Traffic’s work has contributed to CITES listings for species including pangolin genera and influenced international restrictions on trade in shark species and timber like Dalbergia nigra. It has supported successful prosecutions involving seizures coordinated with Interpol and customs authorities, and its market data have guided demand-reduction strategies in major consumer nations. Criticism has come from proponents of regulated legal trade in commodities such as ivory and rhinoceros horn—advocates including some researchers and industry groups in countries like South Africa—who argue that prohibitionist outcomes can undermine sustainable-use frameworks promoted under instruments such as the African Elephant Action Plan. Other critiques focus on resource allocation, priorities between enforcement and community-based conservation championed by organizations like CARE International and The Nature Conservancy, and the challenges of balancing scientific research with advocacy in multilateral negotiations.

Category:Conservation organizations