Collective effort

Increasingly global links mean countries need more than ever to learn from each other's experiences and work together to tackle wildlife-related challenges, including pandemics, Scanlon says.

"Given the recent science highlighting the possible links between certain wildlife trade and markets and the risk of future wildlife-related pandemics, we need to contemplate changes to how we regulate such trade and markets at the national and international levels. And China has taken decisive action, with the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress expanding the country's wildlife protection laws, by issuing a ban on the trade and consumption of wildlife for food. This precautionary step was taken to prevent the risk of future wildlife-related pandemics. It affected many people and their livelihoods, but the importance of preventing future pandemics was the overriding consideration," he says.

"But viruses can spill over in any country and a collective effort is needed to address the risk. We need to build upon the bold actions taken by China, and other countries such as Gabon and Vietnam, and encourage all countries to take a science-based, precautionary approach to wildlife trade and markets.

"Countries can act alone, but it's preferable if we can update the existing international legal framework for regulating wildlife trade by including public health and animal health considerations. In this way, we can work to a common set of rules. Doing so would help ensure that all countries are working together to prevent the risk of future pandemics emerging from wildlife, both now and into the future," Scanlon says.

Crackdown on crime

A tough approach to wildlife crime is also crucial, and China can, again, offer its experience in that regard, Scanlon says.

Through his many meetings with senior officials from China Customs, and their front-line staff, Scanlon says he was "encouraged by their commitment to CITES and their deep collaboration with the Chinese CITES authorities. These interrelationships between agencies are the key to success, and the manner in which agencies work together in China is exemplary and an example to all".

"China has one of the toughest criminal laws for wildlife crimes, carrying a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, with the death penalty being abolished a few years ago. Wildlife criminals are regularly being arrested and prosecuted, yet this is not always well-known outside of China. For example, we have seen people sentenced to over 10 years in prison for illegal trade in pangolins. Such enforcement action is critical to ending these crimes, and China could do more to inform people outside of China of its actions," he says.

"Wildlife crime is a scourge affecting every continent. In addition to posing a threat to human and animal health, it is driving many species toward extinction, degrading entire ecosystems and their ability to sequester carbon, depriving governments of revenue, exacerbating corruption, insecurity and poverty.

"We have seen the benefits of clear, agreed, international rules under CITES, including for the work of customs, but the mandate of CITES is limited. It only applies to 38,000 of the world's eight million species and it is a trade-related, not a crime-related treaty. There are high levels of wildlife crime that are severely impacting thousands of species across many countries, especially developing countries. Given the severe consequences of wildlife crime for people and planet, it is critically important for countries to further scale up their individual, and collective, efforts to combat and prevent these highly destructive crimes.

"China Customs has been exemplary in enforcing strict border controls for CITES species. Given all of the assessments and science we now have, we need to extend efforts to combat illegal trade in CITES species to include all species that are protected under countries' national laws, not just those that are protected under international laws. Destination countries could adopt laws that oblige the importers of wildlife and wildlife products to demonstrate the legal origin of their imports, under threat of criminal sanction. If this was done, it would be a wonderful expression of comity between nations, or a mutual respect for each other's laws. Countries are free to enact such laws, but achieving this objective can best be advanced collectively through a new international agreement on preventing and combating wildlife crime," Scanlon says.

"China is very well placed to continue its leadership in advancing collective efforts to combat trans-boundary wildlife crime, and to work together with countries to explore the possible benefits of developing a new agreement on combating and preventing wildlife crime. Such an agreement could take the form of a protocol under the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, just as we have a protocol against human trafficking, with benefits for biodiversity, our climate, public health, and sustainable development."

Green way to future

Chinese efforts at protecting its forests are also helping to show the green way forward in global sustainability, he says.

"China, as one of the world's megadiverse countries, is finalizing the establishment of 10 national parks across 12 provinces, which is consolidating many thousands of smaller and more disparate reserves. It has completely banned the cutting of natural forests across the country. These efforts will serve to protect biodiversity, combat climate change and help prevent future pandemics," says Scanlon, who has worked closely with China's National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

Climate change is "very high on the international agenda" and one response to help mitigate it is through nature-based climate solutions, "for example better protecting forests", Scanlon says.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us, albeit in a devastating way, of the interconnected nature of things, most particularly between economies, the environment, and human and wildlife health and welfare. It shows us that we have collectively got the balance wrong," he says.

"The stark reality is that we all need to work toward a harmonious society. This requires us to recalibrate our relationship with nature, for many compelling, interrelated reasons, including to protect biodiversity and wildlife, combat climate change, prevent future pandemics and achieve sustainable development."

Contact the writer at [email protected]