Runway to Extinction

Runway to Extinction examines the trends, transit routes, and trafficking methods used by wildlife smugglers exploiting the aviation industry in six world regions: Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania.

Overall, Runway to Extinction finds wildlife trafficking to be global in scope, with trafficking attempts reported more and more frequently. This report’s regional focus has emphasized the tendency of wildlife trafficking trends, routes, and methods to be determined more by the type of wildlife being trafficked than by the region it is trafficked in. Relatedly, each region’s exposure to wildlife trafficking activity is driven primarily by its proximity to specific source regions and demand markets. Finally, wildlife traffickers tend to exploit the same vulnerabilities within airports that other traffickers do, giving enforcement authorities and the private sector an opportunity to address the weak points identified within this report and strengthen their defenses.