Tackling Illegal Wildlife Trade

Role of group

To build a cross government international approach to tackling the illegal wildlife trade.

In May 2013, the Prince of Wales initiated the process leading to the London Conference, when he convened with the UK government a meeting of governments, NGOs and other experts at Clarence House. The plans for the Conference have been developed by several UK Government Departments, working with overseas governments, multilateral organisations, external experts and other stakeholders.

Clarence House conference - 21 May 2013

The event was hosted by His Royal Highness (HRH) The Prince of Wales and Her Majesty’s Government. 180 participants took part from 22 governments, multilateral organisations and non-government organisations.

The morning session included presentations from key experts in this field along with speeches from HRH The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and Rt. Honourable Owen Patterson, Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The afternoon session hosted a government meeting with representatives from 22 countries and multilateral agencies.

Further Information

Group membership

This is a UK government wide approach in consultation with overseas governments, multilateral organisations, external experts and other stakeholders as appropriate. Key UK departments involved include:

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
  • Foreign and Commonwealth Office
  • Home Office
  • Department for International Development
  • Cabinet Office