Protecting Pangolins Safeguards Public Health Too

Pangolins are elusive, solitary, and nocturnal mammals fully covered in scales to defend themselves from predators’ attacks. These creatures, with size up to 100 centimetres, have earned the title “little guardians of the forests” as they help maintain the ecosystems’ unique and delicate balance by feeding on ants, termites and other insects. But their armours leave them defenseless against human poachers who sell them in underground markets­­ either dead or alive.

We, at the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), join the international community in celebrating the World Pangolin Day today, 15 February, as we reiterate our call for pangolins’ protection and for further cooperation among governments and their partners against illegal wildlife trade. Over one million pangolins have been poached since 2006, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), making it known as the most trafficked mammal in the world. The rapidly declining population of eight species of pangolins, four of which, namely Chinese, Sunda, Indian, and Philippine pangolins inhabit Asia, is unsettling.  All are threatened with extinction due to poaching and international trade, which have been flourishing due to the unabated demand for its meat and scales. Countries in Southeast Asia have been known as source, transit, and destination markets for wildlife like pangolins.

As the world faces threats of emerging diseases linked to increasing human interactions with wildlife, we need to seriously pay attention to proactive and long-term efforts to protect wildlife species and their habitats. The plight of pangolins uncovers potential threats to human health and well-being with experts linking it to the origins of the COVID-19. Also, since pangolins’ diet consists of ants, termites, and other insects, which could be vectors of diseases, the declining populations of these scaly anteaters can lead to more illnesses.

All ASEAN Member States have been active parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), a global treaty that protects the endangered plants and animals. CITES has listed eight pangolin species on Appendix I, which bans commercial trade and represents the highest level of international protection.  Member states of the ASEAN were among the Asian and African pangolin rage states that pushed for this greater protection.

In the past years, the ASEAN Member States have demonstrated their commitment to stop the trade of pangolins. Last year, more than 27 tonnes of frozen pangolins and scales were reportedly seized in an operation in Malaysia. It was followed by the seizure of 9.1 tonnes of pangolin products, and 12 tonnes of scales in Viet Nam and Singapore, respectively. In Palawan, Philippines last month, 20 live pangolins were reportedly recovered from a wildlife trafficker in a joint operation.

But the illicit wildlife trade has become a lucrative enterprise for cross-border criminal syndicates. This calls for greater collaboration at the regional and global levels and a holistic and long-term approach that involves the participation of members of the community. Efforts to promote sustainable livelihoods will help reduce the communities’ reliance on poaching, overharvesting and illegal trade of wildlife and their products.

The joint statement of  ASEAN Ministers responsible for CITES and Wildlife Enforcement during the Special ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Illegal Wildlife Trade in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in March 2019, is a big step for future transboundary partnerships in curbing illegal wildlife trade.  The leaders agreed to scale up their efforts in taking concrete steps to strengthen cooperation in addressing illegal wildlife trade in the region by collaborating with international organisations, private sector, academia, and civil society The ASEAN has also pledged to ensure the successful implementation of the Plan of Action for ASEAN Cooperation on CITES and Wildlife Enforcement, 2016–2020. Also, efforts to raise public awareness on the lack of scientific evidence pointing to pangolins’ medicinal value, as well as the health risks associated with consuming them and other wildlife meat, are important.

With 2020 widely regarded as “super year” for biodiversity as parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity develops a new global framework to safeguard all life on Earth, all must take cognizance of the value of conserving wildlife and protecting threatened species like pangolins in human life. (ACB/Dr. Theresa Mundita S. Lim)