Myanmar, a country in turmoil, emerging as a key transit hub for wildlife trade: Report

Subject: Environment

Context-

Myanmar, a country at the crossroads of the south, southeast and east Asia and for long rocked by political turmoil, may be emerging as a key transit hub for illegal wildlife trade (IWT), according to a new report.

Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC) report-

The WJC (set up in 2015), a non-profit based in The Hague, brought out a study “To skin a cat”: how organised crime capitalises and exploits captive tiger facilities.
The document mostly deals with illegal tiger farms in southeast Asia.
However, a small section deals with the situation in Myanmar and the implications for the Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT).
Live, exotic animals are being smuggled from the country to India’s Northeast for supply to the “growing and thriving exotic pet trade in India”.
- Traditionally, Manipur in India’s Northeast “had been the entry point for almost all land-based trade between India and Myanmar, including illegal goods and contraband entered through strategically located towns such as Moreh, Kamjong and
- But now, traffickers have changed track and are using
Myanmar permitted private zoos to apply for captive-breeding licences that could be applied to 90 species, including elephants, tigers, pangolins, and others in June 2020.
Almost one-quarter (20 species) of these are categorised as either endangered or critically endangered in the wild.
It suggests that tiger farms in the Greater Mekong region — Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam — present a significant threat to the survival of tigers across southeast Asia.

Implications of IWT-

Compromises the security of countries
Profits can be used to finance civil conflicts and terrorist-related activities.
Hinders sustainable social and economic development
Reduces the effectiveness of governments
Deter civil engagement
Erode the rule of law
Harms the reputation of and trust in the state
Affects the growth of local communities
Destroys natural wealth

Most Wildlife trafficking by country-

Greater Mekong Region-

The Greater Mekong Subregion, (GMS) is a trans-national region of the Mekong River basin in Southeast Asia.
It came into being with the launch of a development program in 1992 by the Asian Development Bank that brought together the six Asian countries of Cambodia, China (specifically Yunnan Province and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region), Laos, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, and Vietnam.
The Greater Mekong holds irreplaceable natural and cultural riches and is considered one of the world’s most significant biodiversity hotspots.
The region is an important food provider and the site of many large-scale construction projects with social and economic implications.