Holidaymakers warned off illegal wildlife goods

Holidaymakers warned off illegal wildlife goods as 163,000 imports confiscated

· Tourist trinkets can lead to extinctions, says WWF
· Ivory, skins, coral and cures in top 10 seized by customs

Gallery: the trade in illegal species

• Alok Jha, science correspondent
• The Guardian
• Thursday August 16 2007

A leading wildlife charity yesterday warned holidaymakers to guard against bringing endangered species back from their travels after it emerged that British customs had confiscated more than 163,000 illegal wildlife trade items over the past year.

The warning from WWF, which yesterday unveiled its annual league table of the plants and animals most commonly brought illegally into the UK, comes during one of the busiest weeks in the year for overseas travel.

The items confiscated included snakeskin goods, elephant ivory carvings and, top of the list with the highest number of seizures, 605kg (more than half a ton) of traditional Chinese medicines. In total there were 429 seizures in 2006-07, up from the previous year's total of 302.

Many of the seized items derived from species protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites), the worldwide agreement that bans trade in 827 species and strictly controls the movement of more than 32,000 others.

Traditional Chinese medicines, the subject of 97 seizures, can contain material from threatened species such as tigers, rhinos, leopards, bears and seahorses. There were also 44 seizures of snake and lizard products such as handbags and shoes, and 39 seizures of similar crocodile and alligator products.

The authorities seized almost 1,000 live reptiles such as snakes, chameleons, tortoises and terrapins.

"We aren't against wildlife trade as such. The trouble is that where that harvesting of species is unsustainable, it can cause some species to be on the brink of extinction," said Heather Sohl, wildlife trade officer at WWF. "People will look at wildlife as a resource and, if it's not managed in the appropriate way, that resource can be over-exploited."

She cited the tiger as an example. Although habitat loss is a problem for the 1,500 individuals that reportedly still live wild in Asia, the main threat is trade. "There is a demand for tiger bones in traditional Chinese medicines [and] we do find tiger bone products coming into the UK. If we don't clamp down on this trade, we are going to see the extinction of one of our most majestic species."

Much of the trade in illegal species is by traffickers, but Ms Sohl said tourists were unwittingly bringing plants and animals to the brink of extinction. "There is the incidental ignorance side of things - where tourists have gone on holiday and they've seen things on market stalls and thought 'that's a nice trinket' and they've brought it back. They might bring back something that's an alligator-strap watch or ivory carving or snakeskin purse, which they think is completely innocent."

The official quotas on endangered species are also open to abuse. More than 26kg (57lb) of caviar was brought into the UK illegally last year despite recently introduced labelling systems for identifying sustainable sources. "It's perfectly legal to trade it as long as it's under permit and it's from an authorised quota," said Ms Sohl. "The trouble is that when there's a legal marker you can find people using that to launder illegal products."

Customs confiscated more than 158,000 plants, including orchids and cycads. More than 1,270kg of coral was also stopped in a total of 23 seizures. This haul included jewellery as well as living coral intended for British aquariums.

Ms Sohl said that tourists visiting countries such as Thailand and China, and in Africa, should be particularly vigilant and not buy handbags, belts or trinkets made from Cites species. WWF is urging the public to report their suspicions to the charity or to Traffic, a collaboration between the WWF and the World Conservation Union