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Introduction: Wildlife conservation is one of the major concerns of the modern age regarding the critical deterioration of the environment and climate change. For this reason, much attention is given to protecting animals in their natural habitat. Thus, illicit wildlife trafficking remains a serious problem impacting the outcomes of conservation activities and requiring immediate action. For this reason, the offered study focuses on investigating the problem of wildlife trafficking within the civil aviation sector and how to resolve it. Most regulatory agencies working within the sphere, such as ICAO, IATA, ACI, and other international bodies, such as the UN, also recognize the issues critical importance. They work together to introduce new policies and make declarations to create a new framework for resisting wildlife trafficking and attaining desired outcomes.

Research Questions and Objectives: The pivotal aim of the given study is to investigate the major documents linked to the problem, such as policies, declarations, and conventions, and conclude about their impact on the further development of aviation. Regarding the purpose, the following research questions are introduced:

What are the major policies governing aviation regarding wildlife trafficking?
What are the priorities among international aviation bodies regarding wildlife trafficking?

By answering these questions, it is possible to acquire a better understanding of the current approach to struggling against wildlife trafficking. Regarding the research aims, the following objectives were introduced:

identify whether there are policies regulating wildlife trafficking in aviation
explore how the major priorities outlined in the existing documents are linked to wildlife trafficking and affect it
to reveal strategies introduced by international agencies and governments to address illicit wildlife trafficking
to reveal the major themes covered by policy documents and existing agreements
to conclude about the relevance of current goals and their clarity.

The objectives help to guide the research, collect necessary information, and answer the research question.

Literature Review: The theoretical framework for the research is formed by reviewing the relevant and credible sources devoted to the problem. The data collected in the course of the literature review shows that global cooperation is viewed as the most powerful solution to the problem. For this reason, international agreements, such as CITES, the Buckingham Palace Declaration, and UN Resolutions, are introduced to guide further actions and help airlines to develop a stronger response. The literature review also helps to familiarize with the current information and selected documents that should be analyzed to answer the research questions.

Methodology: The study uses qualitative methods of data collection and analysis supported by inductive reasoning. The major assumptions are formulated after the investigation as the acquired information serves as the basis for cogitations. Inductive coding and thematic analysis are used as the primary tools for working with information and its processing. The dataset is comprised of the documents, policies, and conventions offered by the international agencies, such as ICAO, UN, ACI, UfW, and IATA:

United for Wildlife Transport Taskforce Buckingham Palace Declaration
ACI Resolution #2. Sustainable Development of the Aviation Ecosystem
CITES Strategic Vision: 2021 2030
UN Resolution 71/326. Tackling illicit trafficking in wildlife
ICAO Facilitation Panel. Collaborative Approach in the Fight Against Wildlife Trafficking
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
H.R.2494 Eliminate, Neutralize, and Disrupt Wildlife Trafficking Act of 2016
IATA Resolution on the Illegal Trade in Wildlife

The offered codes are:

Policy
Information sharing
System
Illegal wildlife trade
Zero tolerance policy
Awareness
Training
Collaboration and cooperation
Criminalization
Integrated framework
Convention

Regarding the codes, the following themes were established:

International cooperation
Systemic approach
Law enforcement and punishment
Working with individuals

Results: The themes mentioned above helped to analyze the dataset and acquire the necessary outcomes. Thus, investigation shows that every theme is mentioned in the selected documents numerous times (international cooperation 21; systemic approach 30; law enforcement and punishment 33; working with individuals 18). It means that the selected themes are relevant to the problem. Moreover, the thematic analysis proves that international cooperation is viewed as the only possible way to address the problem and acquire desired outcomes. Regarding the high level of criminalization, it is also critical to introduce specific punishments for traffickers and ensure the international and national law is prepared for struggling against the problem.

Conclusion: Altogether, the study emphasizes the topicality of the problem of wildlife trafficking in the civil aviation sector. The information acquired from various sources shows that the number of animals transported illegally remains high, increasing the risks of the critical deterioration of the environment. For this reason, numerous international agencies emphasize the necessity of creating a collaborative approach and a new framework supported by enhanced data sharing, training and reporting. The possible research bias is addressed by using credible sources, a transparent data analysis process that can be repeated, and the validity of acquired outcomes. The investigation can also be used as the basis for future research on the same topic, focusing on working with the personnel and improving existing security systems.

IATA International Air Transport Association
ICAO International Civil Aviation Organization
ACI Airports Council International
UN United Nations
CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
ROUTES Reducing Opportunities for Unlawful Transport of Endangered Species
UfW United for Wildlife
IPCC the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change
UNDOC United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Aviation and Wildlife Conservation: A CLOSER LOOK INTO WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING AND Collecting Data

Introduction

Aviation is one of the most fast-evolving industries the modern world. Its fast development is explained by the high strategic importance and the constantly growing demand for air travel. The globalised world introduces the need to reach various destination areas in short periods. It leads to constructing new airports, diversifying existing routes, and constantly growing traffic. Following the International Civil Aviation Organizations (ICAO) (2021) report, the number of passengers carried on scheduled services comprised about 4,5 billion. It is a 4.9% growth compared to the previous year (ICAO, 2021b). The number of passenger-kilometers also grew, evidenced by the increased demand (see Figure 1):

Figure 1.1: Passenger-kilometers performed

However, aviations role is not limited only to carrying passengers or cargoes. On the contrary, the evolution of technologies provides it with new opportunities and spheres where it can be applied. As a result, nowadays, aircraft are used to address specific attention and control issues. Aviation provides specialists with unique advantages, such as access to complicated areas, more effective monitoring, fast travel, and research (Boratto. And Gibbs, 2021). For this reason, it is broadly used to address the existing challenges and resolve them. For instance, wildlife conservation and monitoring illegal trafficking efforts are critical for the modern world and are supported by aviation (Sollund, 2014). It can help to avoid new wave of extinction and attain positive shifts.

Several factors explain the decision to address the problem of illicit transportation of animals. First of all, the last decade has been characterised by the increased importance of environmental concerns. Climate change, human activity, and the high pollution level negatively impacted wildlife. Statistics show that about 5 animals have become extinct in the last 50 years, while many others are at the edge of complete disappearance (Boratto. and Gibbs, 2021; Swaisgood, 2020). Moreover, poaching also poses a severe threat to specific animals and should be addressed (Ihwagi. et al., 2019). Under these conditions, introducing new policies to regulate this aspect becomes the most effective method to address problems and control the state of the population.

In such a way, aviation is nowadays widely used in addressing environmental concerns and the problem of illegal trafficking. For this reason, the research focuses on performing several tasks. First, it is to explore the problem of wildlife trafficking. Second existing regulations, and agreements on the topic should be reviewed. Finally, it is vital to investigate how aviation is used to prevent the illegal trade of animals, to improve wildlife conservation efforts, and create awareness. The thesis is presented as follows. Firstly a literature review, it is followed by the research questions, and the methodology sections.

Literature review

The gradual deterioration of the environment, climate change, and disappearance of numerous animals natural habitats are significant modern age concerns. For instance, the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC) (2014) report states economic and population growths are the most critical drivers of negative change, increasing CO2 emissions, and promoting the radical alterations in the world and the extinction of multiple species. The primary causes of wildlife decline include exploitation, climate change, loss of habitat, and its change (see Figure 2).

Furthermore, most scientists offer a discouraging forecast, stating that even more animals will become extinct by the end of the decade, while others face a high risk of complete disappearance (Lee, 2018). The following figure represents the scope of threats and the current state of the problem:

The figure shows that wildlife faces numerous threats, while exploitation, habitat degradation, habitat loss, and climate change are the most significant. These factors promoted a critical extinction of species, as data shows that from 1970 to 2012, about 39% of terrestrial, 76% of fresh water, and 39% of marine species disappeared (McCarthy, 2014). Under these conditions, wildlife conservation acquires the top priority. It is the activity aimed at protecting plant and animal species in their habitats and preserving the balance of existing ecosystems (LEDee et al., 2021; Hinton et al., 2022). Today, numerous tools and technologies are used to succeed in the given sphere and ensure endangered species are protected and can live in areas typical for this animal.

Unfortunately, the positive effects of using aviation in protecting wildlife are reduced because of its use for illegal purposes. For instance, poachers have specific air routes to deliver the parts of animals to various locations and sell them (Miao et al., 2021). It results in killing endangered species and reducing their population (Spevack, 2020). Moreover, there is a big illegal business focusing on capturing and trading animals that are protected by the laws (Spevack, 2021). This activity results in thousands of species being replaced from their natural habitat to other locations, deprived of the necessary conditions for survival (Utermohlen, 2019). Aviation plays a vital role in this process as it provides criminals with an opportunity to deliver such products to the final destination and generate income (Utermohlen and Baine, 2017). Under these conditions, it is critical to address the outlined issues and attain positive change.

Scope of the Problem

For this reason, wildlife trafficking is a critical problem linked to preserving the natural balance and protecting animals. The problem is that illegal gathering, transportation, and distribution of animals cause severe damage to nature and the environment (Boratto. and Gibbs, 2021). Millions of animals and plants are removed from the wild annually (IATA, 2022a). The process has several critical effects on the environment. First, illegal poaching, or trade, reduces the biodiversity of specific areas and destroys the balance within a particular biome, which might result in its deterioration and disappearance (Boratto. and Gibbs, 2021; Moore et al., 2017). Second, the transported animals suffer from poor transportation conditions, lack of specific goods, and improper care (Boratto. and Gibbs, 2021). As a result, they risk dying within several years after being sold (Goyes and Sollund, 2018). It constitutes a critical problem for wildlife preservation attempts.

The scope of the problem is evidenced by the fact that regardless of the latest effort to reduce the number of animals transported illegally, their number continuously grows. The official statistics state that about 23$ billion is generated annually due to the illicit transportation of animals from their natural locations (UNDOC, 2020). Illegal wildlife markets are highly specialised and depend on destination points (Antonopoulos, 2021; UNDOC, 2020). At the same time, there is a list of the groups that are at a higher risk of being captured and transported:

The figure shows that fine wood (rosewood) and protected animals, such as elephants, rhinos, tortoises, and others, are captured and transported (UNDOC, 2020). In many cases, their parts valued at markets might also be an object of trade, which also results in the death of an animal and increases the topicality of wildlife trafficking (UNDOC, 2020). Under these conditions, it is critical to address the problem and promote positive change within the sphere.

The topicality of the question resulted in global agencies numerous attempts to ensure there is a collaborative effort to resist the threat. Agencies such as ICAO, IATA, and others started working together to guarantee that the new policies were introduced and implemented (IATA, 2022a). It can contribute to the increased effectiveness of struggle and promote better results within the given sphere (IATA, 2016a). At the same time, there is a serious problem as wildlife trafficking is a global issue, meaning that only international cooperation can help to guarantee that species might benefit from the wildlife conservation efforts to survive.

Criminalization

The problem is also linked to the fact that criminal gangs use the global aviation network to transport illicit wildlife goods throughout the globe. In numerous cases, such activities are performed using aviation (IATA, 2016c). For this reason, regulatory agencies such as International Air Transport Association (IATA) (2016b) introduce specific measures to address the problem. This implies entering international agreements and collaboration to mitigate the adverse effects of the activity. For instance, IATA introduced a particular statement focused on struggling against illicit wildlife trade and trafficking (Burbridge, 2018). It created the basis for the increased effectiveness of wildlife conservation efforts and attempts to reduce illegal traffic (Jaclin, 2016). Furthermore, the resolution encouraged airlines to educate employees, customers, and passengers about the nature, scale, and consequences of illicit wildlife trade, to cooperate with airports and freight forwarders to exert pressure on enforcement agencies, and consider adopting policies to discourage trafficking, such as ensuring incidents are reported and information shared (Utermohlen and Baine, 2018). It became an essential step toward better understanding the scope of the threat and addressing it.

The document mentioned above also promoted the unification of various efforts in this field. For instance, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) views it as a guideline for starting combating illegal wild trafficking (Spevack, 2021). It provides airlines and leading carriers with tools to identify and respond more effectively to red flags that may indicate suspicious cargo and better understand and mitigate against wildlife trends and patterns (ROUTES, 2019). In this way, it would be impossible for wildlife traffickers to exploit and misuse the worlds leading airlines (ROUTES, 2019). It will help to attain significant improvement in the sphere and avoid further deterioration of the situation. Thus, according to WCS (2022), illicit trafficking affects both animals and human beings, making it a more complex problem. Usually, such byproducts are transported: ivory, rhinoceros horn, enormous cat skins, and live lizards, birds, and turtles. (Reals, 2015). The figure below shows that much effort is put into concealing such objects and transporting them.

As a result, the environmental effects of these activities are negative. Statistics show that almost one-third of the worlds elephants were illegally killed in the last decade (Reals, 2021). For smaller species that supply the illicit live and exotic pet or food trade, it is assumed that about ten more have died in transit per live animal that makes it to market (WCS, 2022). Furthermore, there is a high risk of disease transmission because of the poor management as such cargoes are not controlled and checked for infection (Hesse Rea and Booth, 2010; Hitchens and Blakeslee, 2020).

Other global companies are trying to address the problem. For instance, Emirates has painted five of its Airbus A380s with the United for Wildlife logo and images of endangered animals to bring attention to the issue, which is followed by some other airlines (Stephenson, Lohmann and Spasojevic, 2018). The company also engaged in international collaboration with other groups to educate them about possible threats and reduce wildlife trafficking risks (Anom, 2021). It can be viewed as a result of the UWTTs efforts to promote align better coordination between various airlines and increase awareness related to the problem (Anom, 2021). It also justifies the necessity of the collaborative effort to promote positive change.

At the same time, numerous barriers should be considered. First, traffickers might be aware of the security mechanisms and often attempt to circumvent them (IATA, 20). There are numerous examples of how criminals used existing breaches in security systems to transport byproducts and generate income (Huggins, 2018; Lavorgna et al., 2020). China, India, and other regions often suffer from such activities (Anom, 2021; Reals, 2016; Wong, 2021). Under these conditions, it becomes critical to address the problem. Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Americas should be viewed as the major hubs for illegal trafficking (Connelly and Peyronnin, 2021; Nguyen and Roberts, 2020). Unfortunately, for an extended period, wildlife trafficking had been considered only an environmental problem (IATA, 2016b). However, due to the IATA and other agencies efforts, it is now viewed as organised crime, and new methods to help aviation are offered.

Collaboration

The realisation of the problem is one of the major factors leading to its resolution. Thus, IATA highlighted the weaknesses in the global air transport security network that are being exploited by traffickers (IATA, 2016c). There are groups and specific routes used by them to move illegal cargoes (IATA, 2016c). For this reason, it is critical to train passengers and workers to recognise and report suspicious behavior and address the problem (IATA, 2016d). Thus, civil aviation remains fundamental for struggling against wildlife trafficking and are a critical component of the strategy (IATA, 2016d). For this reason, it should be given much attention and support.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) are also involved in the process. They introduced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to struggle against illegal trade (IATA, 2016e). They also formulated a framework for addressing the problem based on the IATA Live Animals Regulations, the IATA Perishable Cargo Regulations, and the CITES Guidelines for the Non-Air Transport of Live Wild Animals and Plants (CITES, 1983). CITES will also guarantee that 181 states will focus on addressing illicit trafficking (Sollund, 2022). Thus, these conventions are critical for aligning the collaborative effort and introducing the guidelines to act together and avoid problems in the future (IATA, 2019). At the same time, there are some shortcomings, such as the lack of information about trafficking and critical issues (Arroyo-Quiroz and Wyatt, 2019; ROUTES, 2019). For this reason, there is a need for additional research in the sphere. It is necessary to train personnel as a source of information about dangerous cargoes and the method to address such issues (IATA, 2019). CITES and IATA play a crucial role in supporting the incentive and promoting further success in the field.

Resolutions on Illegal Trade

The central idea of the cooperation is to resist organised crime and offer a robust response to it. IATA (2016e) proclaims that agencies and airlines are responsible for addressing poaching and illicit trade as significant challenges to wildlife conservation efforts. At the 72nd Annual General Meeting, IATA (2016d) approved the resolution on the illegal trade. It became a starting point for developing the efforts demonstrating good results today. The resolution included the following points:

encouraged airlines to increase awareness of the nature
involved governments in the struggle
invited airlines, airports, and other stakeholders to unite in their struggle
encouraged airlines to adopt appropriate policies (IATA, 2016d)

As a result, agencies became more potent in struggling against illegal trafficking. The wildlife trade endangers numerous species, and the efforts mentioned above are critical for improving the current state of the issue (IATA, 2016e). Governments were also viewed as essential actors as they might help to achieve the following goals:

promote awareness among main stakeholders
work with airports to solve the issue
introduce necessary changes to rules, procedures, and regulations (IATA, 2016e)

IATA also supported the project initiated by the British royal family. The Declaration signed in 2016 stated that many airlines and organisations should cooperate to raise awareness about the current state of the problem and the ways to address it (IATA, 2016e). It will help to stop criminal gangs and create a new environment beneficial for better outcomes and results. The agreement proves the growing role of aviation in resisting illicit wildlife trafficking and improving the situation.

The resolution contributes to the increased activity of the aviation sector in this region. A memorandum of understanding was signed with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species during last years 71st IATA Annual General Meeting (CITES). At international airports in Nairobi and Bangkok, two awareness-raising seminars for airline and airport employees were organised (IATA, 2016c). In addition, IATA joined the Reducing Opportunities for Unlawful Transport of Endangered Species (ROUTES) Partnership of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) (ROUTES, 2019). A new set of guidelines for airlines has been released, and an IATA Environment Committee Wildlife Taskforce has been established to monitor progress and advise the following actions.

Thus, airlines and other civil aviation organisations are encouraged to unite to reduce the number of illegal animal trade animals and find significant routes to eliminate them (IATA, 2022a). Today, leading international carriers are participating in the agreement aimed at preventing illegal trafficking and returning animals to their natural habitat (IATA, 2022a). It has become one of the essential tasks of the existing civil aviation sphere and requires specific resources. At the same time, disregarding the problem might precondition the critical deterioration of the situation.

United for Wildlife (UfW) Transport Taskforce

For this reason, several international incentives are accepted as the way to address the problem. For instance, the United for Wildlife (UfW) Transport Taskforce is one of the agencies established to help the wildlife conservation efforts (IATA, 2022a). It examines the role of aviation in the illicit wildlife trade and outlines the methods to break links between transporters and consumers (IATA, 2022a). The agency cooperates with international environmental groups and governments to ensure the most popular routes are discovered and destroyed. It helps save thousands of animals per year and avoid critical harm done to protected areas. It means that incentives such as UfW play an essential role in wildlife conservation efforts and contribute to the gradual resolution of the illegal wildlife trafficking problem.

ICAO also plays a vital role in promoting positive change within the given sphere. Thus, Facilitation Panel introduced in 2021 outlines the major regulations as part of the collaborative approach in flight against wildlife trafficking (ICAO, 2021a). It focuses on creating the policies necessary for resolving the problem and creating the framework for the collaboration. Thus, it adheres to the ideas outlined by the United Nations and UfW and views them as fundamental for existing practice (ICAO, 2021a). Furthermore, it considers adopting a new recommended practice by states as a part of an integrated framework focused on resisting crime. Under these conditions, ICAO introduces policies necessary for addressing the issue and resolving it.

Conventions on International Trade

Furthermore, Facilitation Panel emphasises the critical importance of Live Animal Regulations (LAR) offered by IATA. It is one of the essential documents introducing a set of policies and necessary actions to ensure that airports and airlines can function appropriately and deliver on their wildlife commitments (IATA, 2022b). For this reason, LAR is viewed as the global standard for transporting live animals using aircraft (IATA, 2022b). The major goal of the given set of policies is to ensure that animals enjoy safe and humane environments during their transportation and are safe (IATA, 2022b). At the same time, violation of LAR can signalise the potentially high risk of wildlife trafficking and require specific responses from the authorities. In such a way, LAR establishes the paradigm for the successful functioning of airlines regarding wildlife trafficking. The violations of the major policies outlined by the document might lead to the emergence of critical problems and worsening of the situation in the sphere.

The convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora supports the ideas offered by LAR and views it as the central document helping to regulate the sphere. CITES also emphasises the importance of the IATA Perishable Cargo Regulations (PCR) because of its significance for the aviation industry and the transportation of animals and species that require specific conditions (IATA, 2022b). The inability to create the necessary conditions and ensure animals are safe might be considered a serious violation of the existing policy and should be investigated by the authorities to ensure no cases of wildlife trafficking are observed (IATA, 2022b). For this reason, IATA and CITES offer fundamental regulations for aligning the stable work of various agencies within the sphere and guaranteeing there is a significant improvement in the sphere attained due to the collaborative effort of all actors involved in the process.

As stated previously, the United Nations is an important actor in promoting international collaboration and integration. Thus, the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 71/326 Tackling illicit trafficking in wildlife is one of the significant documents introducing the policies to address the problem. It encourages all Member states to take part in the process and ensure the problem is recognised, addressed, and managed effectively (United Nations General Assembly, 2017). The policy views wildlife trafficking as a significant threat to wildlife diversity and conservation (United Nations General Assembly, 2017). For this reason, it becomes critical to address the problem and guarantee that airlines know how to address the problem and avoid helping criminals to transport animals, causing harm to them.

CITES Strategic Vision: 2021 2030 is a crucial document

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