Kathmandu (AsiaNews) - Nepal may lose its ability to legally trade in wildlife species, like the red panda, the Asian elephant and rhinoceros horns, a business that is worth millions of dollars, after UN conservation office accused Kathmandu of failing to stop the illegal trade in wild animals and plants on its territory. Nepal and six other nations-Comoros, Guinea-Bissau, Paraguay, Rwanda, Solomon Islands and Syria-could be suspended as of 1 October.
Many activists and environmentalists say Nepal has become an international hub for the illegal trade in endangered species, like the red panda, the grey rhinoceros and various wild birds. Political instability and economic problems have boosted the traffic, with the complicity of some local political leaders.
Gopal Upadhya, a former director of the Nepal Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, said that in the past cracking down on the illegal trade in endangered species was never a priority. Nevertheless, "The government can still save itself from the penalty by submitting to the report and convince the international body before the 1st of October."
According to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), 97 per cent of all animal and plant species it regulates can be traded. The other 3 per cent is generally prohibited or under tight restrictions.
Between 2006 and 2010, the regulated global wildlife trade was worth almost US$ 2.2 billion 2010. Among the species involved are the big leaf mahogany, American black bears, South American grey foxes, Senegal parrots and Malaysian box turtles.
In 1989, a global ban on ivory came into effect. At present, a proposal, put forward in a CITES-commissioned report, would set up a centralised system to allow for the sale of ivory from elephants that either died naturally or as a result of trophy hunting, or were considered a threat or culled for ecological reasons.
Still, the demand for rare animals and materials is fuelling the illegal trade. This is especially true in the case of endangered species like tigers, rhinoceros and bears used in traditional Chinese medicine.