The WWF is run at a local level by the following offices...

Zimbabwe

Asia-Pacific Counter-Illegal Wildlife Trade Hub

Valued at $7-23 US billion per year, wildlife is the world’s fourth-largest illegal trade after firearms, drugs and human trafficking.

Globally, 72–90% of wildlife products (by volume) are trafficked by sea. Hong Kong hosts the world’s 8th largest container port, and is a key node in global transport and financial networks, acting as a bottleneck for trade and financial flows related to wildlife crime.

What we are doing

Strategically located in Hong Kong, the WWF Asia-Pacific Counter-Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) Hub is focused on intercepting global wildlife smuggling operations and following the money trails of wildlife crime.

Our mission is to tackle the economic and logistics frameworks that underpin the illegal wildlife trade. We work to impair trafficking operations by making them more difficult and costly.

Weaknesses and loopholes in maritime supply chains are often exploited by traffickers to smuggle illegal wildlife and timber products to feed growing demand, predominantly in Asian markets. Together, WWF and TRAFFIC are supporting the shipping sector to detect illegalities passing through global waters.

HOW TO SPOT WILDLIFE CRIME IN MARITIME CARGO

RED FLAG INDICATORS FOR WILDLIFE AND TIMBER TRAFFICKING IN CONTAINERISED SEA CARGO

Illegal wildlife trade in maritime supply chains

Wildlife cybercrime

Illegal wildlife trade financial crimes

Zoonotic diseases and One Health

Public awareness on illegal wildlife trafficking