Prince William unveils transport crackdown on illegal wildlife trafficking

Prince William has teamed up with the global transportation industry to develop a crackdown on illegal wildlife-trafficking routes. The industry has agreed a declaration that will be signed by around 40 airlines, shipping, port and customs agencies and conservation charities at Buckingham Palace on 15 March.

The Duke of Cambridge toured DP World at London Gateway port on 14 March, to see the scale of the task involved in stopping traffickers exploiting global transport routes to smuggle poached wildlife, such as black rhino, which are very endangered.

"If we haven't achieved something within the next five to ten years then it will be almost impossible to do anything after that," Prince William told ITV News. "Because the numbers will have been so depleted, the damage will have been done so badly and clearly the demand won't have been halted," he said in the interview.

William, who is president of United for Wildlife, met with UK Border Force staff and viewed some of the products that have been seized, such as snake and crocodile skin boots, ivory ornaments and animal skins. The declaration focuses on information sharing and better reporting of suspicious cargo on key routes to make it unviable both in practical and economic terms for the traffickers to move their trinkets, jewellery and ornaments made from ivory, rhino horn and tiger and pangolin products.