Watch: Wildlife Crime is On the Rise

6 May 2016

Wildlife crime is on the rise. Rhino poaching in South Africa has increased by 9,000% since 2007; 100,000 elephants were killed in just 3 years; and the tiger population has decreased by 40% in the last decade. Mission Blue founder and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Sylvia Earle, National Geographic journalist Bryan Christy, and USAID Forestry & Biodiversity Office Director Cynthia Gill explain the issue in this short film.

The Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge, led by USAID in partnership with National Geographic, the Smithsonian, and TRAFFIC, is working to address this global problem. Our 16 Challenge Prize Winners are developing and accelerating amazing new innovations like solar-powered wildlife surveillance systems, fake sea turtle eggs equipped with hidden trackers, and digital data-mining tools, that will help fight wildlife crime and reduce demand for wildlife products.

We can't solve this alone. If you can help our Prize Winners scale their innovations and bring them to new markets, or if you want more information, please contact us at info@wildlifecrimetech.org.