VOA标准英语2009年-Thailand Calls for Wildlife Trade Enforcement

The Thai government is calling for broader regional support to police illegal wildlife trafficking, especially to China. Thailand is training more than 200 Bangkok airport personnel to assist in the recovery of wildlife trafficked through the international gateway¹.

A new campaign is being undertaken through the Association of South East Asian Nations wildlife enforcement network to stem the wildlife trade estimated to be worth billions of dollars a year.

ASEAN wildlife trafficking expert, Steve Galster says airports are the key transit² location in the illegal trade.

"A bulk of the illegal wildlife trade is actually going through airports on commercial airlines and cargo³ airplanes and to put a dent⁴ in the trade you really have to go after a big part of the trade," he said.

The wildlife trade regulation training includes airport staff and freight forwarding companies. The trainees⁵ learn identification and how to handle commonly traded protected species.

Galster says the campaign aims to create a model applicable to other regional airports. USAID is a key backer of the program, now in its fifth year.

U.S. Ambassador to Thailand Eric Johns said increasing policing at the international airport is a first step towards broader regional program.

"When you are looking at trafficking it really is a regional, global effort, and so Thailand stepping up to the plate as a critical U.S. partner and leading the effort in the region is absolutely essential to the success," said Johns.

The illegal trade of wildlife initially⁶ came under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna⁷ and Flora⁸ launched in 1975. But law enforcement and animal protection groups saw a need for increased cooperation to halt the multimillion dollar trade.

China and the United States as well as Europe are the key destinations for much of the wildlife trafficked out of Asia. The main sources of animals are in the rich biodiversities of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Burma. The smugglers often use transport links through Thailand and Vietnam.
　
Thai Minister for Natural Resources Suwit Khunkitti

ASEAN says in the second half of 2008, more than 2,500 live animals were rescued and more than four tons of carcasses seized.

Thailand Minister for Natural Resources and Environment Suwit Khunkitti says regional cooperation and policing beyond ASEAN are needed.

"We have seen that within ASEAN it is still a need to strengthen the better cooperation among all of us, especially cross border areas, which we have the law enforcement on both sides," he said. "So it is not only ASEAN, but its outside ASEAN that is consuming all these strange animals, wildlife and flora and fauna - we need to stop that."

ASEAN is looking to other countries in the region, especially Japan, South Korea and China, as well as Australia and New Zealand in seeking assistance and financial support to boost the regional policing efforts to curb⁹ the illegal wildlife trade.

1 gateway   

n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法

参考例句：

• Hard work is the gateway to success.努力工作是通往成功之路。
• A man collected tolls at the gateway.一个人在大门口收通行费。

2 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

3 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

4 dent   

n.凹痕，凹坑；初步进展

参考例句：

• I don't know how it came about but I've got a dent in the rear of my car.我不知道是怎么回事，但我的汽车后部有了一个凹痕。
• That dent is not big enough to be worth hammering out.那个凹陷不大，用不着把它锤平。

5 trainees   

新兵( trainee的名词复数 )； 练习生； 接受训练的人； 训练中的动物

参考例句：

• We've taken on our full complement of new trainees. 我们招收的新学员已经满额了。
• The trainees were put through an assault course. 受训人员接受了突击训练课程。

6 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

7 fauna   

n.(一个地区或时代的)所有动物，动物区系

参考例句：

• This National Park is an area with unique fauna and flora.该国家公园区域内具有独特的动物种群和植物种群。
• Fauna is a biological notion means all the animal life in a particular region or period. 动物群是一个生物学的概念，指的是一个特定时期或者地区的所有动物。

8 flora   

n.(某一地区的)植物群

参考例句：

• The subtropical island has a remarkably rich native flora.这个亚热带岛屿有相当丰富的乡土植物种类。
• All flora need water and light.一切草木都需要水和阳光。

9 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。