(Transcript from World News Radio)
Countries around the world have been warned that much of the money from a massive international trade in endangered wildlife parts is ending up in the hands of terrorist groups.
And they're being urged to do more to tackle the multi-billion dollar industry - for the sake of the animals and many of the countries in which they live.
Van Nguyen has the details.
Emmanuel Issoze-Ngondet is Foreign Minister of Gabon, in west Africa, which has been campaigning for tougher action against poaching of endangered animal species.
He says the illicit trade is worth an estimated $19-billion per year.
The Minister says under international regulations, trade in ivory is supposed to be banned - but the decline in elephant numbers in Africa shows how the trade is thriving.
"In 2006, there were about 550-thousand elephants. Today, estimates are approximately 470-thousand on the entire African continent. Over the years, devastation has reached extreme proportions. About 20 to 30-thousand elephants are killed every year."
At the United Nations General Assembly, Gabon has joined forces with Germany to co-sponsor a resolution to call for more international action to tackle the international trade in endangered species parts.
The Assembly adopted the resolution - which although not legally binding, reflects worldwide opposition to illegal hunting.
It calls on consumer nations to take measures to combat sales of products made from poached animals.
It also calls for stronger national legislation to prevent, investigate and prosecute the illegal trade.
Germany's Ambassador to the UN, Harald Braun says wildlife is more endangered than ever before, despite all efforts taken at national and regional levels.
He says elephants and rhinos are the most threatened by poaching.
"There is a black market for rhino horn and a pound of rhino horn today yields more than a pound of gold in this market. And the tusks of 100,000 elephants that were poached last year went into trade. And they resemble an enormous economic value. But if you compare this value to the value of a living elephant for tourism and economy of many African countries, it's only a fraction."
Mr Braun also says the money from the illegal trade in endangered species parts is one of the key sources of finance for terrorist activities.
"A completely illegal traffic has become so voluminous with regards to traffic streams going to Asia and to Europe and that the money that is being made by this poaching and the illicit trafficking has become one of the major sources of finance for terrorism in the world."
British Ambassador Peter Wilson agrees that the implications from the illegal trade in endangered species are far-reaching.
He says the trade can threaten the achievement of sustainable development and national security.
"This illicit trade is much more than an environmental issue. It drives corruption, damages economic growth and hinders sustainable development. It undermines good governance and the rule of law."
Mr Wilson says the General Assembly resolution demonstrates a powerful and growing consensus that the illegal trade in wildlife must be stopped.
"The iconic animals this resolution will help to protect hold a special place in our hearts and the hearts of our children. The outrage over the killing of Cecil the lion in Zimbabwe shows how strongly people feel about the issue."
Representative of the European Union Americo Beviglia Zampetti has praised the high number of co-sponsors of the resolution.
But he says the world must go further.
"This is an essential step to demonstrate political commitment on fighting wildlife trafficking nationally regionally and globally, but it is also only a first step. In this regard, we very much welcome that the General Assembly will revisit the topic annually and we are looking forward to hearing the proposals of the Secretary General. On this basis, we hope to discuss next year an action-oriented resolution."
