Authorities expose secret pipeline fueling endangered species trade: 'An important threat to the biodiversity ... and the wider region'
Protecting animal species from exploitation and extinction requires accurate information about the animals and how humans are interacting with them. Sometimes, that information is hard to get, as is the case for North Korea due to its lack of open communication with the rest of the world. However, a recent study published in the journal Biological Conservation sheds light on North Korea's wildlife — and, unfortunately, the situation is dire, University College London reported.
The information in the report came from interviews with North Korean defectors directly involved in the illegal wildlife trade, including hunters, buyers, and middlemen, gathered between 2021 and 2022.
This group revealed that despite North Korea's system of protected habitats and protected species, it is extremely common for endangered animals to be hunted for meat, skins, traditional medicine ingredients, and other resources. Some of the animals and parts are traded within North Korea, with the rest crossing the border to China.
The North Korean government itself is involved in illegal wildlife trade, which violates both its own laws and international law regarding the treatment of endangered species.
Lead author Dr Joshua Elves-Powell said in the UCL report: "The widespread harvesting of North Korea's wildlife, driven by the economic limitations of the North Korean state and the shortages of food, medicine, and basic goods experienced by many of its citizens, is an important threat to the biodiversity of North Korea and the wider region."
Protected animals like Amur tigers, Amur leopards, Asiatic black bears, long-tailed gorals, and Eurasian otters are among the species of most concern in this report. But after an economic collapse and famine in the 1990s, it's likely that almost every mammal species heavier than half a kilogram (just over a pound) has been affected to some extent, UCL reported.
As this data makes clear, many people in North Korea are relying on the animals in the country for food or their livelihoods. Unfortunately, wildlife is not an unlimited resource. The more those animal populations are pushed toward extinction, the more the people involved will suffer. Species that are lost can never be recovered, and populations that are damaged may take many years of conservation efforts to restore.
It doesn't just impact the animals within North Korea's borders. Normally, animals should be able to cross the border freely, interbreeding and searching for food. Populations near the border will be impacted by the activities that happen on only one side, as there will be fewer individuals to maintain genetically diverse populations.
The study authors called on China to crack down on buyers and put economic pressure on North Korea to stop the illegal wildlife trade. As the market for the majority of illegal animal parts that leave North Korea, China has the power to shut down demand.
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