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TRAFFIC Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network

TRAFFIC sounds like a UN bureau by its acronym alone. It is actually run jointly by two conservation charities, not the UN.

Illegal wildlife trade elephant ivory awareness display, Bangkok
An awareness display on illegal elephant ivory trade at Chatuchak Market, Bangkok. TRAFFIC works to ensure wildlife trade is not a threat to conservation. Photo by U.S. Government Accountability Office, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.
📑 Contents
mcqquestion.com Not a UN Bureau
EnvEco0145
A UNEP Bureau
False — it is a WWF-IUCN joint programme
Ensures Trade Isn’t a Conservation Threat
True
The pattern: TRAFFIC’s mission statement is correctly described, but its institutional identity as a UN body is false.
🏛️ Must Know
What TRAFFIC Actually Is
  • Not a UNEP Bureau TRAFFIC is not a bureau under the UN Environment Programme. It is a joint conservation programme of WWF and IUCN.
  • A Real Mission TRAFFIC’s mission is genuinely to ensure trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to nature conservation.
  • Stands for Trade Records Analysis TRAFFIC stands for Trade Records Analysis of Flora and Fauna in Commerce, established in 1976.
  • Only One Statement Is Correct The mission claim is true, but the UNEP-bureau claim is false.

Good to Know

📘 Good to Know
How TRAFFIC Actually Works
  • Headquartered in Cambridge, UK TRAFFIC’s headquarters sit in Cambridge, UK, coordinating a worldwide monitoring network.
  • Governed by a Steering Committee A TRAFFIC Committee, drawn from WWF and IUCN, governs the network’s direction and priorities.
  • Works Closely With CITES TRAFFIC cooperates closely with the CITES Secretariat, feeding data and analysis into international wildlife trade decisions.
📝 Previous Year Questions
UPSC CSP 2017 — Is TRAFFIC a UNEP Bureau

Test Yourself

1. Is TRAFFIC a bureau under the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)?
2. What is TRAFFIC’s core mission?
3. What does the acronym TRAFFIC stand for?
4. Where is TRAFFIC headquartered?
5. Which international body does TRAFFIC work closely with on wildlife trade decisions?

 

Great to Know

🌟 Great to Know
Why TRAFFIC’s Independence From the UN Matters
  • An NGO Advantage Being an NGO network rather than a UN body lets TRAFFIC operate flexibly across borders without formal government mandates.
  • Feeds Real Enforcement TRAFFIC’s data has directly informed major ivory and pangolin trafficking crackdowns worldwide.
  • Connects to Other PYQ Facts This UN-vs-NGO confusion is a recurring UPSC trap, similar to how CITES and CBD are often mixed up with IUCN.

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