North Korea’s illegal wildlife trade threatens endangered species, research finds

The North Korean government is engaged in the unsustainable and illegal wildlife trade that includes species protected under its own laws and poses a threat to the recovery of local biodiversity, and is finding new research by UCL researchers.

A report published in Biological Conservation found that North Korea has a system of protected areas and protected species that are regularly violated by people who hunt wildlife for personal consumption or black market trade, hunt for sale to Chinese buyers and trapped.

Furthermore, the North Korean state itself is actively involved in the harvesting and trade of endangered species species protected under domestic or international law. Protected species reported from the state’s wildlife trade include Asian black bears, long-tailed galars and Eurasian otters.

Their research is based on extensive interviews with North Korean exiles, including former hunters, wildlife trade intermediaries and buyers, and is the first detailed assessment of North Korea’s multifaceted wildlife trade that took place between 2021 and 2022. Norway.

Researchers argue that compliance with the North Korean government’s domestic protected species laws should be immediately prioritized. They will call on China as a key market for North Korea’s wildlife products, continue their efforts to curb the domestic demand for illegal wildlife, and put diplomatic pressure on its economically dependent neighbours, ensuring that the state is accused of illegal wildlife trade.

Lead author, Dr. Joshua Elf Powell (UCL Geography), stated, “The widespread harvest of North Korean wildlife, driven by the economic limitations of the North Korean nation and the lack of food, medicine and basic commodities experienced by many citizens, is a significant threat to North Korea and its history’s biodiversity.”

China is a major international market for North Korea’s wildlife trade, with outstanding products such as wild meat, fur and body parts for use in traditional medicine.

Part of this trade is China’s commitment as a party to the international trade treaty for endangered species of wild fauna and flora, and for example, UN Security Council 2397, which bans the export of food from North Korea.

State Wildlife Trade

North Korean exiles who participated in the study reported that the North Korean state received wildlife and their body parts from state-sanctioned hunters and communities.

This study includes species that are legally protected in North Korea, including dense mammals similar to goats and Eurasian otters. These species are used domestically. For example, fur is also reported to be used as a tradable resource in winter clothing production.

This is in line with North Korea’s use of natural resources such as wood and coal, as well as illegal trade in weapons and drugs to generate revenue.

The study also details the North Korean nation operates wildlife farms that contain animals such as otters, pheasants, deer and Asian black bears. It is believed that North Korea first began agriculture for bile in the 20th century before spreading to China and South Korea. Bear bile is used in a variety of traditional Asian medicines, including traditional Korean medicine and traditional Chinese medicine.

Bear bile agriculture has been widely criticized by conservatorists and animal welfare activists to perpetuate the demand for endangered species and the unnecessary suffering of agricultural animals.

Economic difficulties promote black market trade

Furthermore, the report identifies economic difficulties as a major driver of North Korea’s black market wildlife trade. A wide range of animals have been reportedly hunted and trapped for meat. It is used in traditional medicines, to protect crops and livestock, or on the black market.

The country’s informal economy grew rapidly as North Korea collapsed in the 1990s, turning it into buying and selling goods containing wildlife, including wildlife, providing basic food resources and generating income, prior to the major hunger that is believed to have killed 600,000 to 1 million people.

North Korea’s economic situation is improving, but researchers have found no evidence that black market trade in wildlife has ceased.

Dr. Elves Powell said, “Hunters may simultaneously engage in both nationally approved and black market trade. For example, animal skins such as red foxes may be submitted to the state, but they may equally be sold to North Korean mid-men and smuggled across the North-Cina border.

Impact on biodiversity

Large-scale harvests of North Korean wildlife have severe consequences for the country’s wildlife population, with evidence that almost all native mammal species, over half a kilogram, are targeted in some capacity.

Sable, a native marten species, was highly sought after by North Korean hunters for its fur, but it is now likely to be functionally extinct within the country. There are similar concerns regarding the Amule Tigers and Amule Leopards, but it is believed that deer populations have also been significantly reduced due to overhunting.

Researchers warn that if North Korea’s exploitation continues to pose risks to wildlife populations, it could threaten biodiversity recovery across the region.

In recent years, Amule Tiger populations have begun to recover along North Korea’s border with China, but hunters could be targeted when they cross to North Korea. North Korea could also serve as a barrier to the movement of native terrestrial species between the South Korean Peninsula and Asia on the mainland.