The+Portuguese+Republic+Position+Paper+(1º+Draft)

Committe: International Labor Organization Topic: Animal trafficking Country: The Portuguese Republic

Wildlife trafficking is the illegal of wild and often endangered species, is driven by organised groups who exploit natural resources and endanger threatened species and the ecosystem. This is accelerating the extinction of some animals, around 20% of the world's mammal species are currently at risk of extinction. There are 30 millions of plants an animals inthe world, 1,000 of these species are endangered and 17,000 are threatened. In 2020, species diversity could be reduced a 33%. Exportation of animals from an ecosystem can be dangerous for the ecosystem and importation of invasive species into their new homes can cause imbalances in the plan or animal life. Animal wildlife trafficking is causing the decline in animal population, is the third largest illegal worldwide activity, despite there is no a law in the majority of the countries that forbide it. For example a Mundial organisation says that more than 180.000 mammals, 6 millions of birds and 8 millions of reptiles that come from the African's Asian's and American's ecosystems are capture and sell to countries of the United Nations, Portugal is one of the most important countries that receive the animals because when it receives them Portugal continues trafficking with them selling to other countries. However Portugal has a protective company of animals that is in charge of guarding for the protection and defense of the animals, it is also in charge of animals that are left and ill-treated in Portugal. Although the Portuguese Republic is against wildlife trafficking because it can harm the ecosystem and the animal, there is always people that traffic with animals and most of them don't have a strong reason for doing it.

Since 2007 Portugal has tried to created a law that consist of protecting wildlife animals, but Portugal hasn't do it yet because they haven't agree it at all, Portugal want a law that forbide animal trafficking. Nevertheless the people who traffic with animals can have a fine or even they can be send to jail. Portugal take part of several important association such us WWF (the Worldwide Wildlife Fund) that is one of the largest independent internacional organization dedicated to the conservation of the nature. WWF was created in 1961. Portugal also participate in CITES ( the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna an Flora) is an international agreement between goverments. Its aim is to ensure the international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants if they do not threaten to their survival. There are 175 countries united to this association, Portugal is the number 62, they joined this organisation the 11 of December in 1980. The Portuguese Replublic is also involved in another important organization, Interpol (the international organization thet connects police forces around the world).The aim of the operation TRAM was to prevent the illegal traffic of wild species of flora and fauna which are in danger of extinction that's a threat against the biodiversity of our planet. This operation demonstrates the delivery of interpol and of his countries members in the fight against this type of crimes.

Portugal has no so much problems with animal's trafficking as other countries have, but to prevent wildlife trafficking Portugal want to pay more attencion to their fauna, because many species are at risk of extinction, due to several problems such as the furtive hunt, the loss of their habitat, due to enviromental problems etc. Fauna also give us money so is our labor to protect it. Portugal want to protect the animals that are at risk of extinction so they want to create Parks, Reservations and National Santuaries to conservate them and to protect the rest of species from animal trafficking. Portugal also want to increase the fines and the sentences to jail, because they though that if they increase it the animal's trafficking would decrease, it would not dissapeared although there is always people that would continue doing it, but it would decrease a bit. Portugal is in favour of prohibiting the extracition and the revenue of exotic species, because of it Portugal want to create a law forbiding it. Already some countries have prohibited it and others have decided to support the legal trade controlled and restricted to not threatened species. Approimately 50% dies before being sold or embarked on the outside. In view of this high rate of mortality, the business need big quantities of animals so more and more animals are extracted.

Portugal is going to pay more attention to this problem, and altough is going to participate in all the associations as they can. They also would ask for help to other countries and as I have said is going to be more vigilance.The control would be more efficient and extense. In spite of the fact that they are animals, Portugal want to look at them as if they were humans, because animals also suffer as humans do, they are living beings. Portugal want other countries to contribute with it, preventing animal's trafficking and finding solution to its problems, because if we all cooperate together we can figth against this problem and obtain better results than if we do it in our own. It would be good that organization like ONU(organization of the United Nations) create new juridical frames for a major protection for the animal's rights and certainly created a law in all the countries that forbide it.Finally to inform the people about this problem and for them to help us there could be more advertising, articles on television, documentaries or films, magazines etc.. speaking about it, because is a problem that affect all people around the world.

Bibliography:

[|http://www.cities.org] [|www.WWF.es] [|www.Addaong.org] [|www.annaweb.org] [|www.wikipedia.org/wiki/wildlife/trade] [|www.revistanatural.com/articulo.asp] [|www.interpol.com] [|www.traffic.org/trade/] [|www.unausa.org/document.Doc?id=603]