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| Traffic (organization) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Traffic |
| Type | Non-governmental organization |
| Founded | 1976 |
| Founders | Shetland Wildlife Trust, World Wildlife Fund |
| Headquarters | Cambridge, United Kingdom |
| Area served | Global |
| Focus | Wildlife trade monitoring and conservation |
Traffic (organization) is a global non-governmental organization focused on monitoring and reducing illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade. Founded in the 1970s, it operates across Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas, and Oceania, engaging with conservationists, law enforcement, policymakers, and market actors to influence outcomes for species such as Asian elephant, African elephant, tiger, pangolin, and rosewood. Traffic collaborates with multilateral bodies and national agencies to provide evidence that informs instruments including the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
Traffic emerged from conservation debates in the 1970s when organizations like the World Wide Fund for Nature and regional trusts recognized that trade dynamics affected species such as African elephant and Rhinoceros. Early work tracked markets for ivory, rhinoceros horn, and timber such as mahogany and rosewood, contributing data to negotiations at meetings of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. During the 1980s and 1990s, Traffic expanded its remit into Asia and Latin America, responding to growing concerns over Asian tiger products, pangolin trafficking, and trade in pharmaceuticals derived from wildlife. In the 2000s and 2010s, Traffic developed forensic and market-survey methodologies used alongside agencies like INTERPOL, the World Customs Organization, and national environmental protection authorities. Its reports have been cited in deliberations by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and in national policy reforms in countries including China, Vietnam, Thailand, Kenya, and Brazil.
Traffic's stated mission centers on ensuring that trade in wild species is sustainable, legal, and traceable. Objectives include generating robust evidence on market trends for taxa such as pangolin, tiger, elephant, shark, and parrot, supporting implementation of international instruments like the CITES, and strengthening capacity among stakeholders including customs services, police units, and judicial systems. The organization aims to influence both supply- and demand-side dynamics by engaging consumer markets in cities such as Beijing, Bangkok, Hong Kong, New York City, and London while also supporting habitat protection efforts in source regions like Central Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Amazon rainforest.
Traffic operates as an independent NGO with regional offices and national programs, governed by a board of trustees and senior executive leadership. Its governance model includes advisory panels composed of experts from institutions such as the Natural History Museum, London, the University of Oxford, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Wildlife Conservation Society. Fiscal oversight involves compliance with national charity regulators in jurisdictions including the United Kingdom Charity Commission, while programmatic oversight aligns with guidelines from multilateral entities like the United Nations Environment Programme. Traffic maintains working groups on subjects including wildlife forensics, timber legality, and marine species, engaging specialists from universities such as Yale University, James Cook University, and Peking University.
Traffic runs programs addressing taxa-specific and thematic issues. Species initiatives have targeted pangolin conservation, elephant ivory trade reduction, and cessation of tiger product markets. The organization operates market-survey programs in urban centers including Mumbai, Hanoi, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur and conducts interdiction-support projects with agencies like INTERPOL and the World Customs Organization. Thematic initiatives include timber legality verification involving commodities like rosewood and mahogany, and marine trade monitoring focused on species such as shark and manta ray. Capacity-building efforts train customs officers, prosecutors, and prosecutors' offices in countries including Indonesia, Kenya, Vietnam, and Peru in wildlife crime investigation techniques.
Traffic collaborates with conservation NGOs, governmental agencies, research institutions, and multilateral organizations. Key partners include the World Wildlife Fund, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, BirdLife International, and the Wildlife Conservation Society. It works with enforcement bodies such as INTERPOL, the World Customs Organization, national police forces, and judicial networks. Research collaborations have involved universities like Cambridge University, University of Queensland, and Zoological Society of London, while policy engagement includes liaison with the CITES Secretariat, UNEP, and national ministries of environment and forestry in countries such as China, India, and South Africa.
Traffic's funding derives from a mix of philanthropic foundations, governmental grants, multilateral donors, and private donors. Major funders have included foundations such as the Global Environment Facility, government agencies such as the United States Agency for International Development, the European Union, and national development agencies like the UK Department for International Development. Traffic also receives project-specific grants from foundations, corporate partnerships in compliance with donor guidelines, and contracts for technical assistance with bodies such as the World Bank. Financial governance adheres to donor reporting standards and independent audits to meet requirements of entities including the Charity Commission for England and Wales.
Traffic's evidence-based reports have influenced policy outcomes such as amendments to listings under the CITES and national policy shifts reducing legal domestic markets in countries including China and Vietnam. Its training programs have supported high-profile seizures facilitated by agencies like INTERPOL and national customs administrations. Criticism has come from some academics and activists who argue that market surveys may undercount illicit online trade or that engagement with regulated trade frameworks could legitimize consumptive uses; such debates have been prominent among scholars at institutions like University of Oxford and advocacy groups such as Wildlife Justice Commission. Traffic responds by refining methodologies and publishing peer-reviewed analyses in collaboration with journals and research centers including Conservation Biology and the IUCN SSC specialist groups.
Category:Wildlife conservation organizations