The European Union (EU) tops the list of major importers by value for many wild animal and plant products, according to a report issued on Tuesday by TRAFFIC, the global wildlife trade monitoring network.

The report, "Opportunity or threat: The role of the European Union in the global wildlife trade," is the first ever analysis looking at the volume and scope of wildlife trade products imported into the EU.

"As EU membership has expanded, so has the size of the market and demand for wildlife products," said Rob Parry-Jones, head of TRAFFIC Europe.

"While much wildlife trade is legal, we cannot ignore the growing illegal trade stemming from the demand for exotic pets, timber and other wildlife products. This is a serious threat to the survival of species such as reptiles and sturgeons," Parry- Jones said.

Between 2003 and 2004, EU enforcement authorities made more than 7,000 seizures of shipments without legal permits, totaling over 3.5 million specimens listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Wildlife products imported in the EU include caviar from the Caspian Sea, snakeskin handbags and shoes, rare reptiles as pets, as well as snooker cues made of ramin, a tropical hardwood tree from Southeast Asian forests.

TRAFFIC estimates that from 2000-2005, skins of 3.4 million lizards, 2.9 million crocodiles, and 3.4 million snakes, all species listed under CITES, were imported into the EU, along with 300,000 live snakes for the pet trade.

During the same period, the EU imported 424 tons of sturgeon caviar - more than half of all global imports - and in 2004 alone, it imported more than 10 million cubic meters of tropical timber from Africa, South America and Asia.

"The demand for wildlife products in the EU is having a huge impact on wildlife and people in all corners of the world," said Dr Susan Lieberman, director of global species program of WWF, a Swiss-based conservation organization.

"The EU has a key role in ensuring excessive demand does not cause over-exploitation of wildlife outside its borders and a responsibility to help countries manage their resources," Lieberman said.

Source: Xinhua