The large-scale consumption of wildlife parts, products and derivatives is one of the key drivers of extinction for endangered species worldwide. Vietnam is a principal destination and transit country for illegal African rhino horn and elephant ivory, and is a source country for the illicit poaching of pangolins and also a transit and market for pangolins.

To combat wildlife trafficking, USAID Saving Species and USAID Wildlife Asia hired GlobeScan, a globally recognized public opinion research consultancy, to conduct multiple wildlife consumer demand studies in China, Thailand and Vietnam. The results uncovered the beliefs, attitudes and values of consumers which drive them to buy and use wildlife parts and products. An upcoming webinar on March 27 will give an overview of the demand for parts and products derived from rhinos, elephants, pangolins and tigers, across these three countries and discuss evidence-based recommendations to reduce the demand for these products among different consumer segments.  More information and online registration for the webinar is available here.  

So What?  As consumer demand drives the illegal wildlife trade, USAID is helping to put an end to this lucrative form of transnational crime by gathering, using, and widely sharing evidence to implement activities which influence consumer behavior.