Posted on March, 10 2015

Behai used to be renowned for its role in the illegal trade in marine turtles in China. But its status as a trafficking hotspot has been dealt a severe blow in recent months after the authorities in the town launched a concerted campaign to clamp down on the illegal sale of turtles and their shells.
 
In May last year, the wildlife trade monitoring network, TRAFFIC, found more than 80 hawksbill specimens and thousands of Hawksbill shell products in just two days in Behai. By contrast, similar surveys in January found just five hawksbill turtle specimens concealed in a single retail outlet.
 
The collapse in the illegal trade follows a decision by the municipal government to crack down on the trade. The move was sparked by a letter to the local authorities from the Guangxi Management Authority for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES MA), which included TRAFFIC’s alarming monitoring results from May and urged them to take prompt action against the trade.
 
The municipal government responded with an intensive, multi-agency enforcement campaign against the turtle trade, involving the Industrial and Commercial Administration, and the Fishery Department, as well as the Forest and Security Police. Between June and October 2014, 12 marine turtle cases were detected and 14 Hawksbill specimens and 959 Hawksbill shell products confiscated.
 
Along with greater enforcement, the campaign also involved measures to improve co-operation between different enforcement agencies and regular inspections of retail outlets in Beihai – as well as public awareness raising initiatives.
 
“TRAFFIC applauds the firm action taken by the authorities in Beihai, who are key to combatting the illegal marine turtle trade,” said Zhou Fei, Head of TRAFFIC’s China Office, whose work on the marine turtle trade has been supported by WWF’s Coral Triangle Programme and CEPF.
 
“The trade has been suppressed for the four months since the intensive enforcement action took place and most dealers now understand the trade is illegal and forbidden, but the challenge will be to maintain this situation into the foreseeable future,” added Zhou.
 
Another challenge will be to replicate the successes in Beihai with similar initiatives in other Chinese cities where turtles and their derivatives are illegally on sale. Hopefully, the authorities in other turtle trafficking hotspots will follow Beihai’s example and launch a wide-ranging campaign to end the trade – and so contribute to a reduction in the marine turtle trade at a national level.
 
And that could make a significant difference to the illegal regional trade, which a recent report suggests is already at alarming levels and seems to be expanding.