Stop wildlife trade

Wildlife trade must be controlled because it is one major cause of the depletion and loss of our country's biodiversity. Adapt appropriate techniques in organizing, information/education and networking in doing the following activities:

Weaken wildlife demand/markets.
(For cities)

· Investigate the markets of live wildlife, materials and finished products from them. Possible places to investigate:

- pet shops;
- animal collectors and pet raisers;
- restaurants and other food outlets;
-businesses involved in fashion accessories, guitar-making; and,
- manufacturers of shoes, bags, belts, etc.

· Trace sources/souppliers of wildlife.

- Ingredients to exotic dishes, e.g., Neal Bird's Nest Soup is made from the nest of Swifts.
- Decorations on guitars come from tortoise shell.
- Bags, shoes, belts may come from reptile and snake skins, animal pelts.
- Fashion jewelry can come from corals, horns and teeth of deers, crocodiles, etc.
- Tortoise shell is also made into jewelry and combs.
- Some ingredients of cosmetics like perfume and lipsticks come from whales, cruets, etc.

· Wildlife demand/markets can be further weakened by the following:

- Campaign against buying live animals or materials made of animal horns, teeth, carapace and corals as gifts. Examples are combs and jewelry from tortoise shells and earrings, pendants, necklaces, brooches and hair clips made of corals, bird feathers, ivory, etc. Pillows may also be stuffed with down.

- Boycott circuses and animal acts. Observe animals in their natural habitats.

- Never buy a caged bird and other wildlife peddled as pets.

- Campaign against/boycott restaurants serving exotic dishes from wildlife as well as those exhibiting wildlife, like talking mynas as added restaurant attraction.

· Make your opposition known. Write, visit, call, take advantage of suggestion boxes and pre-printed consumer complaint cards. Always explain your suggestions and complaints.

Weaken wildlife demand

Stop trade at its source.
(For communities near resource)

· Identify species being traded, their status (rare, endangered, threatened, endemic, migratory); laws and ordinances protecting wildlife; community values which favor or deter conservation actions.

· Create an environment hostile to wildlife collection, hunting, poaching, trapping, etc. Some ways of doing this are:

- Deny hunters access to land to hunt on (educate and organize private land owners).
- Make noise, dismantle traps, alert forest guards (in public lands).

· Explore and promote alternative livelihood -- conservation schemes for wildlife gatherers. Example: beekeeping projects.

Huntins prohibited

Controlling transport/trafficking

· Collaborate with transport companies on the denial of carriage of wild animals.

· Collaborate with Philippine Coast Guard assigned in your locality for the strict enforcement of laws protecting wildlife.

· Publicly commend support extended to wildlife conservation. On the other hand, be cautious and sparing with criticisms, except when there is no action after several appeals, petitions and dialogues

· Report exportation and importation of rare and endangered wildlife. The Philippines is a signatory to the CITES Treaty.

Controlling transport/trafficking

List of agencies to contact for reporting wildlife trade:

· Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB, DENR)

· Philippine Coast Guard

· Haribon Foundation

· Philippine Wetlands and Wildlife Conservation Foundation, Inc.

Sources:

Goodman, Billy. A Kid's Guide to How to Save the Planet. USA: Byro Press Visual Publications, Inc. 1990.

Newkirk, Ingrid. Save the Animals! 101 Easy Things You Can Do. USA: Warner Backs, Inc. 1990.

Ideas for Action:

A Technology Information Kit, November 23 - 28, 1992