Abstract:

The National Revenue Administration in Poland is the customs authority responsible for enforcing regulations regarding the import and export of endangered species of flora and fauna. The most important legal act in this regard is the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). Its main message is the need to reduce the trade in CITES specimens, the condition of which suggests that their uncontrolled acquisition is very harmful, e.g. for the natural environment. The purpose of this article was to draw attention to the fact that international trade controls are often more effective than protecting species in the countries of their occurrence. Countries with the greatest biodiversity include underdeveloped countries in Africa, Asia or South America. In these countries, the phenomenon of poaching and illegal acquisition of specimens is a big problem, e.g. due to limited resources. Therefore, customs checks at borders and within the country are a key factor in preventing nature crime. Analysing the statistics of attempts to smuggle endangered species of plants and animals thwarted by the customs authorities in Poland, one can determine, among others, directions of imports, frequency and scale of the problem.