Combating Wildlife Trafficking

Wildlife trafficking is an international crisis that involves the poaching, smuggling, and illegal trade of protected species. It is both a critical conservation concern and a threat to global security with significant effects on the national interests of the United States and our partners around the world. Wildlife trafficking can also harm people by increasing the risk of zoonotic diseases and severely impacting food, land, and other natural resources that humans depend on for survival. Transnational criminal organizations that traffic in wildlife can also be connected to other serious crimes such as money laundering and human, drug, and weapons trafficking. 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is committed to working with others to end wildlife trafficking while supporting the legal and sustainable trade of wildlife throughout the world. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the lead federal agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior for combating wildlife trafficking in the United States. Our staff works with federal, state, and other partners to provide financial and technical assistance for projects that deliver measurable conservation results for the protection of trafficked plants and animals. They also enforce various laws, treaties, and regulations that help facilitate legal wildlife trade while protecting imperiled species and their habitats for future generations. You can learn more about the various ways our agency works to end wildlife crime below.