Reference: Endangered Species: “Apes Seizure Database Reveals True Extent of Illegal Trade”

From GRASP (Great Ape Survival Partnership):

Over 1,800 great apes were seized from an illicit live traffic that went undetected for over a decade but is now confirmed through the Apes Seizure Database that was launched at the 17th Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Conference of the Parties on 29 September in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Seizure records in the database date back to 2005, and include any removal of great apes from unlawful situations. Seizures were recorded in 23 nations, almost half of which were non-range States from Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
Over 90 percent of all seizures occurred within national borders and were therefore not recorded in widely used illegal trade databases managed by the CITES and other regulatory agencies. As a result, the trade in endangered and critically endangered great apes was dramatically under-reported.
The Apes Seizure Database was created by the Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP), in collaboration with the United Nations Environment -World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). Its seizure data comes from GRASP’s broad alliance of 105 national governments, research institutions, conservation organizations and United Nations agencies, which was then verified by a technical advisory group.E

Read the Complete Launch Announcement, View Video
Selected Great Ape Resources
via Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP)

• A.P.E.S. Portal/Database
  Data archive, reports, and other materials.

A.P.E.S. allows you to explore the geographic areas where apes still occur in the wild using interactive mapping software, to help you better understand the various threats they face and to learn more about their conservation needs by using the various analytical tools provided. Of all the threats faced by apes, humans may be a large part of the problem, but we can also be the solution, use A.P.E.S to help save the apes!

• Great Ape Virtual Reality Tour
• Great Ape Infographics
• Reports and Publications
• GRASP Homepage

Related Resources via  Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wildlife Flora and Fauna (CITES)

• CITES Trade Database
• CITES Trade Dashboards
• Checklist of CITES Species Database

• SPECIES+ Database

Bringing you authoritative information on taxonomy, legislation, distribution and trade in MEA-listed species.

• CITES National Authorities and Other Organizations
• CITES Glossary
• CITES Member Nations
• CITES Homepage

Filed under: Associations and Organizations, Dashboards, Data Files, News, Preservation, Reports