Overview

• On June 16, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing all eight pangolin species as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, expanding protection beyond the single species now covered.
• The draft rule would criminalize most imports of pangolin scales and meat and increase penalties for trafficking, with exemptions only for scientific research and conservation programs.
• Pangolin populations have plummeted due to poaching, habitat loss and inbreeding, making them the world’s most trafficked mammals despite no evidence that their scales have medicinal value.
• Authorities warn that profits from illicit pangolin sales often fund organized crime networks involved in drug and arms trafficking.
• Stakeholders have 60 days to comment before the listing can be finalized, following administration moves to roll back other ESA habitat safeguards.