- Email: [email protected]
Taking pangolin conservation to scale
C H A P T E R
39 Taking pangolin conservation to scale Daniel W.S. Challender1,2, Helen C. Nash2,3, Carly Waterman2,4 and Rachel Hoffmann5 1
Department of Zoology and Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom 2 IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group, N Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London, United Kingdom 3Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 4 Conservation and Policy, Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London, United Kingdom 5 IUCN Species Survival Commission, IUCN, Cambridge, United Kingdom O U T L I N E
Introduction
609
Opportunities
612
Foundations for success
610
A bright future for pangolins?
612
Challenges
611
References
613
Introduction Pangolins are extraordinary species. They are the world’s only truly scaly mammals and are evolutionarily distinct, having evolved unique morphological and ecological adaptations over tens of millions of years (Chapter 1). However, they are one of the few mammalian orders where every member species is threatened with extinction (Chapters 4 11). Despite this, they have received scant research and conservation attention historically and remain poorly known. Encouragingly, this has begun to change, following the “rise to fame” of
Pangolins DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-815507-3.00039-3
pangolins since the early 2010s (Chapter 21; Harrington et al., 2018). Within a decade, they have risen from virtual obscurity to become high profile ambassadors, alongside more traditionally iconic species (e.g., African elephant [Loxodonta africana]), for global campaigns to combat the illegal wildlife trade. This has resulted in a huge leap in recognition of the species by the general public in various parts of the world, and the plight of pangolins has captivated many people who a decade ago would not have known that they exist. Similarly, within the international conservation community there is growing recognition
609
© 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
610
39. Taking pangolin conservation to scale
of the threats pangolins face and the urgency needed to address them. This is largely thanks to the efforts of a handful of researchers, conservation practitioners and activists who have painstakingly studied, advocated for, and championed pangolins over the past few decades (Chapter 21). The eight species of pangolin are now receiving more conservation attention from governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and practitioners than ever before. This volume presents the most up to date knowledge of pangolins, their evolution and systematics, natural history, and threats, and discusses a wide range of approaches and interventions as conservation solutions for the species. This chapter considers what the next 20 years may look like for pangolins and reflects on how the international conservation community, through adopting a collaborative and multidisciplinary approach, can take pangolin conservation to scale. There is still time to secure representative populations of each species across a diversity of sites in Asia and Africa and, now that pangolins have the world’s attention, the time is ripe to ensure that they receive sustained, strategic conservation focus and support.
Foundations for success There is already a solid foundation on which to build long-term, sustainable conservation programs for pangolins. Within the global pangolin conservation community the knowledge and expertise on the species, their threats, and what needs to be done to address them, has accumulated in recent decades (e.g., in China, Vietnam and Zimbabwe). This community continues to grow as pangolins attract a new wave of scientists and supporters dedicated to their conservation. As new projects develop, it is imperative that efficient mechanisms are in place for communication, collaboration and knowledge-sharing, to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of
conservation actions in the current climate of limited resources and funding. The Pangolin Specialist Group (PSG), as part of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC), can play a major role in making this a reality. The IUCN SSC is a network of approximately 9000 individuals from around the world constituted into almost 150 Specialist Groups, which are dedicated to the safeguarding and protection of global biodiversity. At the beginning of 2012, pangolins were the only group of mammals not represented by a Specialist Group in the SSC, despite previous incarnations of the group existing between 1992 and 1997 (chaired by Dr. Kevin Lazarus) and 1998 2004 (chaired by Dr. Jung-Tai Chao). In recognition of this gap, the PSG was reformed (see Chapter 21; Challender et al., 2012). There are a number of benefits for species conservation of having a dedicated SSC Specialist Group, which align closely with taking pangolin conservation to scale. They include the ability to convene stakeholders and use IUCN’s neutral position as an intergovernmental organization (IGO) to facilitate dialogue (e.g., amongst scientists, NGOs, conservation practitioners, local communities, civil society and businesses), and leverage political will with governments to help achieve successful conservation outcomes. They also include the ability to initiate and/or contribute to conservation planning for pangolins, to assist in the prioritization and facilitation of focused conservation efforts through stakeholder engagement (see Chapter 33) and to identify geographic areas (e.g., sites) of importance to pangolins. Furthermore, IUCN and its SSC groups are purveyors of independent and credible scientific advice and information. For example, the PSG inputs technical expertise into international policy such as CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), and conducts global assessments of pangolin conservation status and extinction risk for the IUCN Red List. The SSC groups also have the ability to develop
IV. The Future
Challenges
IUCN guidelines, standards, and position statements around issues directly relating to pangolin conservation (e.g., on the role of ex situ conservation). Finally, having pangolins represented in the IUCN SSC provides many opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration, for example, on thematic issues including sustainable use and livelihoods, conservation planning, wildlife health, and climate change, in order to develop innovative solutions to conservation challenges, and cohesive approaches to research, sharing of knowledge, and increased surveillance of conservation needs and priorities. This should not imply that all the benefits of a Specialist Group are conferred at an international level. Nationally the PSG is working with government and NGO partners to affect positive outcomes for pangolins within individual range states. As an example, it has collaborated with partners in the Philippines to develop a national conservation strategy to guide investment in priority actions for pangolins in the country. Conservation priorities for pangolins are also being pursued at a national level, through the establishment of national working groups comprising key stakeholders for pangolin conservation. These groups are proving effective at enhancing collaboration between pangolin researchers and conservation practitioners, and engaging with policy makers and industry, to further pangolin conservation. While not coordinated through IUCN, there is significant overlap in membership between national working groups and the PSG, with active collaborations between the two taking place in Singapore (Chapter 26) and Taiwan (Chapter 36) to develop conservation strategies.
Challenges While this all offers promise, pangolins are facing ever increasing threats and available evidence suggests that populations are in decline.
611
Of serious concern are the challenges facing pangolin conservation in the forthcoming decades. Pangolins and their derivatives have high financial value in range states and regions of the world where demand exists, and awareness of the species appears to be growing, which presents a key challenge for controlling exploitation levels, especially in rural and austere environments (Chapter 18). This is compounded by those hunting, poaching and trafficking pangolins often perceiving it to be low risk and high reward (Chapter 17); and intercontinental trafficking of African pangolins to Asia, virtually exclusively involving scales, emerged between 2008 and 2019, and appears to be placing an additive pressure on populations (Chapters 8 11, 16). Moreover, international trafficking networks are using increasingly sophisticated smuggling methods and modifying routes to avoid detection (Chapter 16; Heinrich et al., 2017). A number of key macro-economic factors compound this predicament further. High human population growth rates are forecast in a number of pangolin range states (e.g., Democratic Republic of the Congo [DRC], India, and Nigeria; United Nations, 2019) which will likely increase pressure on natural resources in these countries, including pangolins and their habitats. Global levels of trade are expected to increase (Lloyd’s Register et al., 2013), and there are high levels of East Asian investment in Africa (e.g., Zhang et al., 2015), two factors that may well facilitate the trafficking of African pangolins and their scales to Asian markets. The cultural revival of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and the emergence of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) could also have major implications for pangolins and the sustainability of harvest, use, and trade (see Ascensa˜o et al., 2018). There is also little evidence that efforts to reduce consumer demand, a recognized conservation priority for pangolins, are efficacious (Verı´ssimo and Wan, 2019). Yet, even if they
IV. The Future
612
39. Taking pangolin conservation to scale
are, the question remains whether consumer behavior can be changed on a large enough scale, and within the required timeframe, to contribute to measurably reducing pangolin offtake and trafficking to levels that no longer threaten the species.
and overcoming the rising competition for limited conservation funding. As such, innovative approaches will likely be needed to ensure there is adequate support for conservation action (Chapter 37).
A bright future for pangolins? Opportunities Despite these challenges, there is cause for optimism. There is greater knowledge of pangolins and their threats with which to inform short- and long-term conservation interventions and management (Chapters 4 11). More stakeholders comprising governments, NGOs, practitioners, and academics, among others, are investing in the conservation of pangolins locally, nationally, and internationally. The pangolin conservation community is also growing and conservation strategies are starting to be developed (Chapters 33 and 36), with which to guide strategic conservation action and investment. At the country level, national working groups are being formed and providing a key link between national and international conservation efforts (Chapter 26). At the site level, there is better protected area management being brought about through investment, capacitybuilding and the introduction of tools such as SMART (Chapter 27), and many conservation projects are being implemented in areas where pangolins occur. This offers opportunities for synergy by integrating pangolin conservation priorities into such projects, including developing partnerships with local communities and indigenous peoples (Chapters 23 27). There is also scope to use citizen science to better inform our understanding of the species and contribute to pangolin conservation (e.g., within protected areas; Chapter 38). Donors are also showing greater interest in pangolins, though the challenge will be maintaining this into the future,
Taking pangolin conservation to scale means that sufficient knowledge is generated on each species, and population monitoring methods are developed, and they are being used to determine that, at a defined sample of sites representing the species and their habitats, populations are stable or increasing because the threats have been mitigated. Additionally, research on pangolins is ongoing and the species remain high on the conservation agenda, and regional and national conservation strategies are being used to guide conservation. This can be achieved if there is effective site-based protection, effective community engagement, and partnerships are formed at key sites for each species; front-line enforcement agents and judiciaries must also have greater awareness of wildlife crime involving pangolins and take it more seriously, which serves as a deterrent to poaching and trafficking. Consumer demand in key markets must no longer pose a threat to the species. To achieve such a feat, and overcome recognized challenges, will require significant amounts of political will and courage, and concerted and collaborative efforts from the global conservation and scientific communities, including governments and their delegated agencies, academics, and NGOs, and critically, local communities and indigenous peoples all working together at the local, national and international level. There is a strong foundation on which to build to ensure this vision becomes a reality and herein lies the challenge for the next 20 years and beyond.
IV. The Future
References
References Ascensa˜o, F., Fahrig, L., Clevenger, A.P., Corlett, R.T., Jaeger, J.A.G., Laurance, W.F., et al., 2018. Environmental challenges for the belt and road initiative. Nat. Sustain. 1, 206 209. Challender, D.W.S., Baillie, J.E.M., Waterman, C., IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group, 2012. Catalysing conservation action and raising the profile of pangolins the IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group (PangolinSG). Asian J. Conserv. Biol. 1 (2), 140 141. Harrington, L.A., D’Cruze, N., Macdonald, D.W., 2018. Rise to fame: events, media activity and public interest in pangolins and pangolin trade, 2005-2016. Nat. Conserv. 30, 107 133. Heinrich, S., Wittman, T.A., Ross, J.V., Shepherd, C.R., Challender, D.W.S., Cassey, P., 2017. The Global Trafficking of Pangolins: A Comprehensive Summary of Seizures and Trafficking Routes From 2010 2015.
613
TRAFFIC, Southeast Asia Regional Office, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. Lloyd’s Register, QinetiQ, University of Strathclyde, 2013. Global Marine Trends 2030. Available from: , https:// www.lr.org/en-gb/insights/global-marine-trends-2030/. . [September 27 2019]. United Nations, 2019. World Population Prospects 2019. Highlights. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. United Nations, Geneva. Verı´ssimo, D., Wan, A.K.Y., 2019. Characterizing efforts to reduce consumer demand for wildlife products. Conserv. Biol. 33 (3), 623 633. Zhang, S., Blanchard, B., Rajagopalan, M., 2015. China just made a $2 billion move in an oil-rich west African nation. Available from: , https://www.businessinsider. com/r-china-agrees-2-billion-infrastructure-deal-withequatorial-guinea-2015-4?r 5 UK . . [September 27 2019].
IV. The Future
39 Taking pangolin conservation to scale Daniel W.S. Challender1,2, Helen C. Nash2,3, Carly Waterman2,4 and Rachel Hoffmann5 1
Department of Zoology and Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom 2 IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group, N Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London, United Kingdom 3Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 4 Conservation and Policy, Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London, United Kingdom 5 IUCN Species Survival Commission, IUCN, Cambridge, United Kingdom O U T L I N E
Introduction
609
Opportunities
612
Foundations for success
610
A bright future for pangolins?
612
Challenges
611
References
613
Introduction Pangolins are extraordinary species. They are the world’s only truly scaly mammals and are evolutionarily distinct, having evolved unique morphological and ecological adaptations over tens of millions of years (Chapter 1). However, they are one of the few mammalian orders where every member species is threatened with extinction (Chapters 4 11). Despite this, they have received scant research and conservation attention historically and remain poorly known. Encouragingly, this has begun to change, following the “rise to fame” of
Pangolins DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-815507-3.00039-3
pangolins since the early 2010s (Chapter 21; Harrington et al., 2018). Within a decade, they have risen from virtual obscurity to become high profile ambassadors, alongside more traditionally iconic species (e.g., African elephant [Loxodonta africana]), for global campaigns to combat the illegal wildlife trade. This has resulted in a huge leap in recognition of the species by the general public in various parts of the world, and the plight of pangolins has captivated many people who a decade ago would not have known that they exist. Similarly, within the international conservation community there is growing recognition
609
© 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
610
39. Taking pangolin conservation to scale
of the threats pangolins face and the urgency needed to address them. This is largely thanks to the efforts of a handful of researchers, conservation practitioners and activists who have painstakingly studied, advocated for, and championed pangolins over the past few decades (Chapter 21). The eight species of pangolin are now receiving more conservation attention from governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and practitioners than ever before. This volume presents the most up to date knowledge of pangolins, their evolution and systematics, natural history, and threats, and discusses a wide range of approaches and interventions as conservation solutions for the species. This chapter considers what the next 20 years may look like for pangolins and reflects on how the international conservation community, through adopting a collaborative and multidisciplinary approach, can take pangolin conservation to scale. There is still time to secure representative populations of each species across a diversity of sites in Asia and Africa and, now that pangolins have the world’s attention, the time is ripe to ensure that they receive sustained, strategic conservation focus and support.
Foundations for success There is already a solid foundation on which to build long-term, sustainable conservation programs for pangolins. Within the global pangolin conservation community the knowledge and expertise on the species, their threats, and what needs to be done to address them, has accumulated in recent decades (e.g., in China, Vietnam and Zimbabwe). This community continues to grow as pangolins attract a new wave of scientists and supporters dedicated to their conservation. As new projects develop, it is imperative that efficient mechanisms are in place for communication, collaboration and knowledge-sharing, to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of
conservation actions in the current climate of limited resources and funding. The Pangolin Specialist Group (PSG), as part of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC), can play a major role in making this a reality. The IUCN SSC is a network of approximately 9000 individuals from around the world constituted into almost 150 Specialist Groups, which are dedicated to the safeguarding and protection of global biodiversity. At the beginning of 2012, pangolins were the only group of mammals not represented by a Specialist Group in the SSC, despite previous incarnations of the group existing between 1992 and 1997 (chaired by Dr. Kevin Lazarus) and 1998 2004 (chaired by Dr. Jung-Tai Chao). In recognition of this gap, the PSG was reformed (see Chapter 21; Challender et al., 2012). There are a number of benefits for species conservation of having a dedicated SSC Specialist Group, which align closely with taking pangolin conservation to scale. They include the ability to convene stakeholders and use IUCN’s neutral position as an intergovernmental organization (IGO) to facilitate dialogue (e.g., amongst scientists, NGOs, conservation practitioners, local communities, civil society and businesses), and leverage political will with governments to help achieve successful conservation outcomes. They also include the ability to initiate and/or contribute to conservation planning for pangolins, to assist in the prioritization and facilitation of focused conservation efforts through stakeholder engagement (see Chapter 33) and to identify geographic areas (e.g., sites) of importance to pangolins. Furthermore, IUCN and its SSC groups are purveyors of independent and credible scientific advice and information. For example, the PSG inputs technical expertise into international policy such as CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), and conducts global assessments of pangolin conservation status and extinction risk for the IUCN Red List. The SSC groups also have the ability to develop
IV. The Future
Challenges
IUCN guidelines, standards, and position statements around issues directly relating to pangolin conservation (e.g., on the role of ex situ conservation). Finally, having pangolins represented in the IUCN SSC provides many opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration, for example, on thematic issues including sustainable use and livelihoods, conservation planning, wildlife health, and climate change, in order to develop innovative solutions to conservation challenges, and cohesive approaches to research, sharing of knowledge, and increased surveillance of conservation needs and priorities. This should not imply that all the benefits of a Specialist Group are conferred at an international level. Nationally the PSG is working with government and NGO partners to affect positive outcomes for pangolins within individual range states. As an example, it has collaborated with partners in the Philippines to develop a national conservation strategy to guide investment in priority actions for pangolins in the country. Conservation priorities for pangolins are also being pursued at a national level, through the establishment of national working groups comprising key stakeholders for pangolin conservation. These groups are proving effective at enhancing collaboration between pangolin researchers and conservation practitioners, and engaging with policy makers and industry, to further pangolin conservation. While not coordinated through IUCN, there is significant overlap in membership between national working groups and the PSG, with active collaborations between the two taking place in Singapore (Chapter 26) and Taiwan (Chapter 36) to develop conservation strategies.
Challenges While this all offers promise, pangolins are facing ever increasing threats and available evidence suggests that populations are in decline.
611
Of serious concern are the challenges facing pangolin conservation in the forthcoming decades. Pangolins and their derivatives have high financial value in range states and regions of the world where demand exists, and awareness of the species appears to be growing, which presents a key challenge for controlling exploitation levels, especially in rural and austere environments (Chapter 18). This is compounded by those hunting, poaching and trafficking pangolins often perceiving it to be low risk and high reward (Chapter 17); and intercontinental trafficking of African pangolins to Asia, virtually exclusively involving scales, emerged between 2008 and 2019, and appears to be placing an additive pressure on populations (Chapters 8 11, 16). Moreover, international trafficking networks are using increasingly sophisticated smuggling methods and modifying routes to avoid detection (Chapter 16; Heinrich et al., 2017). A number of key macro-economic factors compound this predicament further. High human population growth rates are forecast in a number of pangolin range states (e.g., Democratic Republic of the Congo [DRC], India, and Nigeria; United Nations, 2019) which will likely increase pressure on natural resources in these countries, including pangolins and their habitats. Global levels of trade are expected to increase (Lloyd’s Register et al., 2013), and there are high levels of East Asian investment in Africa (e.g., Zhang et al., 2015), two factors that may well facilitate the trafficking of African pangolins and their scales to Asian markets. The cultural revival of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and the emergence of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) could also have major implications for pangolins and the sustainability of harvest, use, and trade (see Ascensa˜o et al., 2018). There is also little evidence that efforts to reduce consumer demand, a recognized conservation priority for pangolins, are efficacious (Verı´ssimo and Wan, 2019). Yet, even if they
IV. The Future
612
39. Taking pangolin conservation to scale
are, the question remains whether consumer behavior can be changed on a large enough scale, and within the required timeframe, to contribute to measurably reducing pangolin offtake and trafficking to levels that no longer threaten the species.
and overcoming the rising competition for limited conservation funding. As such, innovative approaches will likely be needed to ensure there is adequate support for conservation action (Chapter 37).
A bright future for pangolins? Opportunities Despite these challenges, there is cause for optimism. There is greater knowledge of pangolins and their threats with which to inform short- and long-term conservation interventions and management (Chapters 4 11). More stakeholders comprising governments, NGOs, practitioners, and academics, among others, are investing in the conservation of pangolins locally, nationally, and internationally. The pangolin conservation community is also growing and conservation strategies are starting to be developed (Chapters 33 and 36), with which to guide strategic conservation action and investment. At the country level, national working groups are being formed and providing a key link between national and international conservation efforts (Chapter 26). At the site level, there is better protected area management being brought about through investment, capacitybuilding and the introduction of tools such as SMART (Chapter 27), and many conservation projects are being implemented in areas where pangolins occur. This offers opportunities for synergy by integrating pangolin conservation priorities into such projects, including developing partnerships with local communities and indigenous peoples (Chapters 23 27). There is also scope to use citizen science to better inform our understanding of the species and contribute to pangolin conservation (e.g., within protected areas; Chapter 38). Donors are also showing greater interest in pangolins, though the challenge will be maintaining this into the future,
Taking pangolin conservation to scale means that sufficient knowledge is generated on each species, and population monitoring methods are developed, and they are being used to determine that, at a defined sample of sites representing the species and their habitats, populations are stable or increasing because the threats have been mitigated. Additionally, research on pangolins is ongoing and the species remain high on the conservation agenda, and regional and national conservation strategies are being used to guide conservation. This can be achieved if there is effective site-based protection, effective community engagement, and partnerships are formed at key sites for each species; front-line enforcement agents and judiciaries must also have greater awareness of wildlife crime involving pangolins and take it more seriously, which serves as a deterrent to poaching and trafficking. Consumer demand in key markets must no longer pose a threat to the species. To achieve such a feat, and overcome recognized challenges, will require significant amounts of political will and courage, and concerted and collaborative efforts from the global conservation and scientific communities, including governments and their delegated agencies, academics, and NGOs, and critically, local communities and indigenous peoples all working together at the local, national and international level. There is a strong foundation on which to build to ensure this vision becomes a reality and herein lies the challenge for the next 20 years and beyond.
IV. The Future
References
References Ascensa˜o, F., Fahrig, L., Clevenger, A.P., Corlett, R.T., Jaeger, J.A.G., Laurance, W.F., et al., 2018. Environmental challenges for the belt and road initiative. Nat. Sustain. 1, 206 209. Challender, D.W.S., Baillie, J.E.M., Waterman, C., IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group, 2012. Catalysing conservation action and raising the profile of pangolins the IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group (PangolinSG). Asian J. Conserv. Biol. 1 (2), 140 141. Harrington, L.A., D’Cruze, N., Macdonald, D.W., 2018. Rise to fame: events, media activity and public interest in pangolins and pangolin trade, 2005-2016. Nat. Conserv. 30, 107 133. Heinrich, S., Wittman, T.A., Ross, J.V., Shepherd, C.R., Challender, D.W.S., Cassey, P., 2017. The Global Trafficking of Pangolins: A Comprehensive Summary of Seizures and Trafficking Routes From 2010 2015.
613
TRAFFIC, Southeast Asia Regional Office, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. Lloyd’s Register, QinetiQ, University of Strathclyde, 2013. Global Marine Trends 2030. Available from: , https:// www.lr.org/en-gb/insights/global-marine-trends-2030/. . [September 27 2019]. United Nations, 2019. World Population Prospects 2019. Highlights. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. United Nations, Geneva. Verı´ssimo, D., Wan, A.K.Y., 2019. Characterizing efforts to reduce consumer demand for wildlife products. Conserv. Biol. 33 (3), 623 633. Zhang, S., Blanchard, B., Rajagopalan, M., 2015. China just made a $2 billion move in an oil-rich west African nation. Available from: , https://www.businessinsider. com/r-china-agrees-2-billion-infrastructure-deal-withequatorial-guinea-2015-4?r 5 UK . . [September 27 2019].
IV. The Future