As wildlife traffickers migrate to online platforms in the digital age, exploiting the anonymity and its reach, countries across the world including India have started sharing their best practices and strategies to help the global wildlife body Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) frame universal guidelines, a first to combat the illegal trade of endangered species on e-commerce platforms and social media. 

“The goal is to compile a comprehensive set of guidelines aimed at curbing the illegal trade of endangered species on e-commerce platforms and social media. The CITES in its recent order On March 13,  has urged member nations to contribute their expertise and experiences in combating wildlife crime in the online space.

“This includes sharing successful legislative measures, collaborative initiatives, technological solutions, and model domestic measures for addressing wildlife crime linked to the internet. Additionally, methodologies used by agencies to regulate legal commerce and combat illegal trade of CITES species online are also requested, “ said an official from the Union Environment Ministry.

Through this collective effort, CITES intends to develop a robust framework that can be universally adopted to address the challenges posed by wildlife trafficking on the internet. By leveraging the knowledge and resources of its diverse membership, CITES aims to strengthen global efforts in protecting endangered species in the digital age.