A/RES/71/326
United Nations
Distr.: General
28 September 2017
General Assembly
Seventy-first session
Agenda item 13
Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 11 September 2017
[without reference to a Main Committee (A/71/L.88 and Add.1)]
71/326. Tackling illicit trafficking in wildlife
The General Assembly,
Reaffirming the intrinsic value of biological diversity and its various
contributions to sustainable development and human well-being, and recognizing
that wild fauna and flora in their many beautiful and varied forms are an
irreplaceable part of the natural systems of the Earth which must be protected for
this generation and the generations to come,
Remaining concerned, therefore, about the increasing scale of poaching and
illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products and its adverse economic, social and
environmental impacts,
Expressing serious concern over the extraordinarily detrimental levels of
rhinoceros poaching and the alarmingly high levels of killings of elephants in
Africa, as well as the illegal trade in other protected wildlife species, including but
not limited to reptiles, tortoises, marine and freshwater turtles, sharks, ornamental
fish, pangolins, great apes, parrots, raptors, the helmeted hornbill and big cats,
which threaten those species with local extinction and, in some cases, with global
extinction,
Underlining the need to take measures to prevent illegal timber harvesting,
which leads to the decimation of rare timber species, in particular of rosewood,
agarwood and sandalwood,
Recognizing that illicit trafficking in wildlife contributes to damage to
ecosystems and rural livelihoods, including those based on ecotourism, undermines
good governance and the rule of law and, in some cases, threatens national stability
and requires enhanced transnational and regional cooperation and coordination in
response,
Emphasizing that the protection of wildlife must be part of a comprehensive
approach to achieving poverty eradication, food security, sustainable development,
including the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, economic
growth, social well-being and sustainable livelihoods,
Reaffirming its call for holistic and integrated approaches to sustainable
development that will guide humanity to live in harmony with nature and lead to
efforts to restore the health and integrity of the Earth’s ecosystem, which will
contribute the creation of a shared future based upon our common humanity,
17-15823 (E)
*1715823*
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