social effects of poaching

There is an international trade of ivory and rhino horn.  The ivory and rhino horns come from Africa and travel to Asia, where they use them for medicine and jewelry.  70% of the Chinese surveyed, thought that ivory fell out of the elephants like teeth do, and the elephants didn't have to die.  There is an international ban on ivory trade since 1989.  Some countries are still trading.  The UN can impose trade sanctions that would have many social impacts upon the country.

 

economic effects of poaching

In South Africa's Limpopo province, which houses Kruger National Park, there are signs hanging above roadways that say "Anti-poaching units will poach the poachers".  There was a massive increase in rhino poaching in South Africa in the past 4 years, over 2008-2012. Fast economic growth in China and people  ave more money to buy rhino horns that they use for medicine.  Therefore, poachers have to poach more rhinos.  Some park officials believe that poaching is now done by organized crime syndicates.  Some crime syndicates provide local people with high-powered hunting rifles.  The crime syndicates pay them 3 years wages of an inexperienced agricultural worker.  Currently, of people arrested for poaching, over 90% of suspects were granted bail.

environmental effects of poaching

Poaching can have a very bad effect on the global environment.  One way it can do this is having a negative effect on the survival of hundreds of animal species.  One specific example is  African elephants.  Their population is dropping quickly because ivory is in high demand, and poachers are killing them for their ivory. population numbers have droped to 1/2 of what they were in 1979. The location of the problem is in the savannas and forests of africa. In 1989, a international ban on ivory trade was approved by CITES a branch of the UN. In resent times, the exportation of ivory has gone back up to what it was before the ban. 

Poaching also has a effect on climate changeas you can see in the quote.

"Protecting elephants is an important part of fighting climate change. Why? Because every day across Africa and Asia, elephants disperse billions of seeds, some of which will grow into the forests of tomorrow, sequestering and storing carbon, generating rainfall and stabilising our climate. Save the elephants to save the forests to save the world!"

Ian Redmond OBE 

Wildlife biologist and Ambassador for the UNEP Convention on Migratory Species