Leonardo DiCaprio Joins WWF to Launch “Hands Off My Parts” Initiative to Stop Wildlife Crime

Ambiente: WWF, email Di Caprio "stop a commercio fauna selvatica"

(AGI) - Roma, 18 feb. - Leonardo DiCaprio lancia "Hands Off My Parts - Giu' le mani dalle parti del mio corpo", l'iniziativa del WWF per mobilitare l'opinione pubblica contro il commercio illegale di fauna selvatica, dai rinoceronti alle tigri ma soprattutto elefanti, uccisi a migliaia ogni anno per il loro avorio. Il WWF conta di raccogliere un milione di firme entro il 14 marzo alla petizione rivolta al premier thailandese Yingluck Shinawatra perche' vieti ogni forma di commercio di avorio in Thailandia. Di Caprio ha inviato una mail personale ai sostenitori del WWF e alle celebrita' incoraggiandoli a partecipare alla campagna e firmare la petizione. "Il commercio illegale di specie selvatiche e' la minaccia piu' urgente che colpisce specie come tigri, rinoceronti ed elefanti. Questi animali vengono uccisi ogni giorno per nutrire una crescente domanda delle diverse parti del loro corpo " ha scritto DiCaprio. "Intere popolazioni rischiano di essere spazzate via se non si prendono provvedimenti immediati per fermare questo commercio illegale. Per questo insieme al WWF invitiamo il governo thailandese a mostrare la propria leadership per la conservazione degli elefanti fermando il mercato dell'avorio prima che il paese ospiti l'importante summit di 177 nazioni sul commercio di specie selvatiche del prossimo mese di marzo".
Altre voci importanti che aderiscono all'iniziativa sono: Emily VanCamp, Josh Bowman, Stacy Keibler, Alyssa Milano, Ian Somerhalder, e Ethan Suplee. (AGI) . Fonte

Thai prime minister announces end to ivory trade

Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra pledged to start a legislative process to end ivory trade in Thailand, seizing a key opportunity to stem global wildlife trafficking at the opening of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Bangkok.

Her statement came after a petition calling on Thailand to ban its ivory trade was signed by nearly 1.5 million WWF, Leonardo DiCaprio and Avaaz supporters. Prime Minister Shinawatra said that Thailand would take steps to end ivory trade – the first time the Thai government has said this publicly.

“As a next step we will forward amending the national legislation with the goal of putting an end on ivory trade and to be in line with international norms,” Prime Minster Shinawatra said. “This will help protect all forms of elephants including Thailand’s wild and domestic elephants and those from Africa.”

The prime minister’s decision comes as WWF and TRAFFIC continue asking CITES governments to sanction countries fuelling the global illegal wildlife trade. Poaching has escalated to crisis levels in recent years, and is a major threat to iconic species such as elephants, rhinos and tigers.

Ending ivory trade in Thailand – currently the world’s largest unregulated ivory market – will go a long way in stemming a global poaching crisis that is leading to the slaughter of tens of thousands of elephants each year and fuelling a global criminal trade in animal parts.

“The fight to stop wildlife crime and shut down Thailand’s ivory markets is not over. Prime Minister Shinawatra now needs to provide a timeline for this ban and ensure that it takes place as a matter of urgency, because the slaughter of elephants continues.”
Carlos Drews
Head of WWF’s delegation to CITES
Thailand, Nigeria and Democratic Republic of Congo have failed repeatedly to address their rampant domestic ivory markets despite CITES rules that outlaw the unregulated sale of ivory. Under treaty rules, CITES member states can recommend that parties stop trading with non-compliant countries in the 35,000 species covered under the convention, from timbers to crocodile skins. Source