Apeejay Shipping signs Bukingham Palace Declaration on combating illegal wildlife trade

Apeejay Shipping said it signed the Buckingham Palace Declaration on shutting down illegal wildlife trafficking.

Karan Paul, Chairman of Apeejay Shipping, said that as a sea transportation service provider, the company committed its fleet and people to being vigilant and to use its information networks globally to break the supply chain of illegal commercial trade in wildlife, wildlife parts and products.

He also said, “Our tea plantation company Apeejay Tea and Typhoo Tea are investing in human-elephant conflict mitigation in Assam and are committed to conserving wildlife and their habitat. We are happy to join the Buckingham Palace Declaration and we hope the international pact will have a measurable and meaningful impact.”

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the UK last November, India and the UK resolved to work together to combat the illegal wildlife trade. The Buckingham Palace Declaration, developed by the United for Wildlife initiative, has created a global coalition to prevent traffickers from exploiting weaknesses as they seek to covertly move their products from killing field to marketplace.

On March 15 at Buckingham Palace, over 40 CEOs, Chairmen and leaders of airlines, shipping firms, port operators, customs agencies, intergovernmental organisations and conservation charities from around the world have signed the declaration.

The commitments focus on information sharing, staff training, technological improvements, and resource sharing across companies and organisations worldwide as it takes steps to remove the vulnerabilities in transportation and customs to tackle the criminals currently exploiting them.