Cablegate: The Atlantic Rain Forest Wildlife Trafficking Assessment

VZCZCXRO7886
RR RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD
DE RUEHBR #0799 1271717
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 071717Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8850
INFO RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 4752
RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO 6219
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 2214
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA 3460
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 3680
RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 4208
RUEHAC/AMEMBASSY ASUNCION 6077
RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO 6868
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ 5329
RUEHGE/AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN 1272
RUEHPO/AMEMBASSY PARAMARIBO 1305
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS BRASILIA 000799

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR OES: LSPERLING, CDAWSON, SCASWELL,
STATE PASS USAID FOR LAC/RSD, LAC/SAM, G/ENV, PPC/ENV

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV XM XS BR
SUBJECT: THE ATLANTIC RAIN FOREST WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING ASSESSMENT
REPORT

Ref: Brasilia 0771

1. SUMMARY: The Brazilian National Network to Fight the
Trafficking of Wild Animals - RENCTAS, launched The Atlantic Rain
Forest Wildlife Trafficking Assessment Report on May 2, 2007. The
report indicated that the poaching and trafficking in wild animals
such as monkeys and parrots is reaching a critical state in Brazil.
END SUMMARY.

2. The assessment report entitled "Wildlife -Preservation and
Destruction Narrow Threshold - the Brazilian Atlantic Rain Forest
Wildlife Trafficking Assessment Report - Central and Serra do Mar
Corridors" was launched by RENCTAS on May 2nd, 2007 at the Brazilian
House of Representatives. Supported by the Critical Ecosystem
Partnership Fund and Atlantic Rain Forest Conservation Alliance,
this event was designed to draw attention to the growing problem of
wildlife trafficking and to discuss methodologies for sharing
information in order to address this issue. Some of these
methodologies included creating a wildlife crimes database,
constructing and updating website information about wildlife
trafficking, and bringing together and informing organizations that
work directly on combating criminal activity.

3. According to the RENCTAS report, poaching and trafficking in
wild animals such as monkeys and parrots is reaching a critical
state in Brazil's Atlantic rain forest and has become a lucrative
secondary source of income for drug traffickers. Police
confiscations have risen to more than 50,000 captured animals in
2005, up from 15,000 five years earlier.

4. RENCTAS estimates Brazil accounts for about 10 per cent of the
world's illegal trade in wild animals. It is further estimated that
nearly half of the animals - mostly parrots and other birds - go to
Europe and the United States. The global trade in poached animals
and their hides, tusks and bones is worth $US10 billion to $US20
billion a year, ranking third after arms and drugs trafficking.

5. RENCTAS warned that a recent government decision to reorganize
the Brazilian Environmental Protection Agency IBAMA (see reftel),
could increase animal trafficking.

SOBEL

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