At the 18th meeting of CITES contracting parties in Geneva on August 20, the Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Awards were granted to wildlife enforcement agencies from 10 countries including China, marking the fourth time for China Customs winning the Awards in recent ten years.

The Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Awards, established in 1997 jointly by more than 80 non-government organizations, is used to honor the individuals and institutions with remarkable contributions in fighting wildlife-related crimes and therefore regarded as the “Olympic champion prize in the field of wildlife protection”.   

During the first half year, China Customs instituted 344 criminal cases of smuggling endangered species and seized 1,216.42 tons of endangered species, respectively 2.34 times and 40.67 times more year-on-year; therein, elephant tusk smuggling reached 122 cases, with 9.05 tons of ivory products seized, respectively 3.36 times and 28 times more year-on-year, 37 smuggling rings destroyed and 284 criminal suspects captured.  

In recent years, China Customs’ crackdown on such smuggling has been widely recognized by the world. In line with CITES rules, China Customs cooperates closely with foreign Customs authorities in terms of intelligence exchange, joint investigation, pursuit of fugitives, and other enforcement actions.
   
The Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Awards were granted to Guangzhou Customs District and Jiangmen Customs District in 2010 and 2013 respectively. This year, the Anti-Smuggling Bureau of the GACC won the Awards for the second time since 2016.