Wycliffe: Fijian Crested Iguana smuggling can fetch up to $100K
The smuggling of the Fijian Crested Iguana can fetch up to US$50,000 (about FJ$102,104.76) on the international black market, the Permanent Secretary for Environment Joshua Wycliffe revealed yesterday.
He said this during the opening the enforcement training for Border Control Officers on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the Endangered and Protected Species Act (2002).
Mr Wycliffe said smuggling of species has tripled in recent years with the increase of illegal trade and illegal activities globally.
“There’s heightened interest in some of our species that can be taken away and also both purposely and inadvertently they mismanage species like sharks,” Mr Wycliffe said.
More than 21,000 species are cov
ered under CITES which includes 1200 species that are under threat of extinction.
CITES is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals.
All trade of these species are illegal except for non-commercial purposes or exceptional circumstances like research.
Schedule two of the convention lists 21,000 species that are not threatened but on the pathway to extinction.
Mr Wycliffe said the ministry along with stakeholders proactively managed this by identifying the species well in advance to ensure they do not go extinct.
He said the Dakua tree, which was a highly attractive business commodity, was among the 1200 species threatened with extinction.
If over a period of time such species flourish then authorities might consider moving it to another schedule through an act in Parliament.
The third schedule of the convention includes a list of 170 species based on request from the 183 member countries of CITES.
Penalties for smuggling these species range from $20,000 to $100,000 fine.