SNARES ARE DRIVING SOUTHEAST ASIA’S WILDLIFE TO EXTINCTION.

Deadly snares are wiping out Southeast Asia’s rare and iconic wildlife. Set in their millions to meet the demand for wildlife meat in urban areas, snaring is fueling an extinction crisis that threatens the balance of critical ecosystems. It also intensifies public health risks through increased exposure to animals that are high risk carriers of zoonotic diseases. We urgently need to stop snaring. Here’s how.

 1. MORE RESOURCES TO SUPPORT NATIONAL PROTECTED AREAS

More, better trained and better equipped rangers need to be mobilised to prevent snare placement and remove those snares already on ground. There should be at least 5 rangers per 100km2 in protected areas and increased patrol intensity. This will have impact, but rangers alone cannot end the snaring crisis.

2. ENGAGE LOCAL COMMUNITIES TO COMBAT SNARING

Communities need to be empowered to combat snaring. Working closely with communities to find mutual strategies to protect the ecosystems that support them is key. We need to develop alternative livelihoods for hunters and protect sustainable, traditional hunting methods.

3. STRENGTHEN ANTI-SNARING LAWS

Laws need to be updated to ensure bans on both the use and possession of snares.

Domestic legislation needs to be both comprehensive and consistently enforced.

4. PREVENT THE SALE OF WILDLIFE THAT CAN SPREAD DISEASES

Efforts to combat wildlife trafficking need to be urgently scaled up. Markets and restaurants selling high-risk species need to be closed, and the consumption of high-risk wildlife banned.

5. REDUCE DEMAND FOR WILDLIFE MEAT

Demand has increased for wildlife meat from a growing urban middle class in Southeast and East Asia. We need to strengthen efforts to change behavior in order to reduce consumer demand for high-risk wildlife products.