Washington, D.C. -Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee Peter DeFazio (D-Springfield) will hold a press conference at the House Triangle to discuss the trade of illegal ivory and other wildlife products and its connection to international crime rings and terrorist organizations today, Tuesday, June 24th at 11am EDT. DeFazio will be joined by groups fighting illegal poaching and wildlife trafficking.
The press conference comes on the same day that Republicans on the House Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposal to ban most ivory sales.
Over 90 elephants are killed by poachers each day in Africa to meet global demand for ivory. This illegal harvesting and trade has an adverse economic effect on African communities that depend on wildlife. In addition, poaching is providing funds for international crime syndicates that also traffic in drugs, guns, and humans, as well as for terrorist groups like Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army and the Al-Qaeda linked militants Al-Shabaab.
*Officials from Kenya Wildlife Service intended to attend, however a recent terrorist attack by Al-Shabaab has prevented their participation.
PRESS CONFERENCE DETAILS
WHEN: Tuesday, June 24th 11am EDT
WHERE: House Triangle
SPEAKERS:
Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) - Ranking Member, Committee on Natural Resources. Congressman Peter DeFazio has championed animal welfare issues since he was elected in 1986. He is the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, and served on the Homeland Security Committee until the 112th Congress.
Varun Vira - Co-Author, Ivory’s Curse, a recent report on ivory poaching and trafficking commissioned by the NGO Born Free USA. Mr. Vira’s firm C4ADS uses traditional and nontraditional data sources and cutting edge technology to analyze global conflict and security issues. Born Free USA promotes the protection of wildlife in its natural habitat, and advocates for stronger oversight of the global wildlife trade.
Azzedine Downes - President and CEO of International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). IFAW is a global leader in protecting threatened and endangered species, including African elephants. One of their major initiatives is a partnership with INTERPOL to improve law enforcement against wildlife trafficking.
Allan Thornton - President, Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). EIA has long been a critical player in exposing and fighting wildlife trafficking and played a key role in establishing the first worldwide ban on ivory trade in 1989. They have also brought attention to illegal logging and its links to organized crime around the world.
Crawford Allan - Senior Director, TRAFFIC. TRAFFIC is a partnership developed by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to fight natural resources crime. The organization produces and synthesizes information used to inform decision makers at all levels of government, and is a crucial resource for the parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
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