MIAMI - Carnival Corporation & plc announced it is among the newest corporate partners of the U.S. Wildlife Trafficking Alliance, a coalition of non-profit organizations, companies, foundations and media interests that work closely with the U.S. government in a collaboration to reduce the purchase and sale of illegal wildlife products in the United States. The commitment was made official last week at a public forum in Washington, D.C. at the National Geographic Society's Grosvenor Auditorium, following a White House event on the issue.
Carnival Corporation's partnership includes providing education, awareness and training for its 120,000 worldwide employees on the identification of illegal wildlife products and the harm created by this trade. It also includes providing awareness of wildlife crime to its 11 million cruise guests across its 10 global brands, and the development of programs to communicate with vendors and suppliers about the dangers of illegal wildlife trafficking.
"As the largest cruise company in the world, Carnival Corporation can be influential in providing awareness and education about the market for illegal wildlife products," said Roger Frizzell, chief communications officer for Carnival Corporation. "We look forward to being a part of this important cause and coalition."
The global cruise company is also introducing the industry's first ships to be powered at sea by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) – the world's cleanest burning fossil fuel, representing a major environmental breakthrough that will eliminate emissions of soot particles and sulfur oxides. The initiative is part of the company's stated goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent from the 2005 baseline before the end of 2020.
"Carnival Corporation's commitment demonstrates the growing momentum from businesses, conservation organizations and the U.S. government to shut down demand for illegal wildlife products," said David J. Hayes, chair of the U.S. Wildlife Trafficking Alliance. "Leading companies from across the U.S. are sending a clear signal to traffickers that they will not turn a blind eye to this criminal activity. By partnering with additional corporations, as well as some of the largest wildlife NGOs in the nation, we are taking critical actions to protect species from extinction and empower American consumers to 'be informed, buy informed.'"
According to recent estimates from the U.S. Department of State, wildlife trafficking also generates approximately $10 billion per year in illegal profits for criminal syndicates that are masterminding the killing, transport and marketing of illegal wildlife products. Additionally, wildlife trafficking has contributed to nearly 50 percent of the entire African lion population being decimated over the past three decades and approximately 100,000 elephants killed for their ivory in a three-year period.
