Demand for exotic creatures widespread.

• Author: Herro, Alana
• Position: EYE ON EARTH

In September, the Chinese government invited law enforcement officers from Southeast Asia's Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN) to meet with local counterparts to address the cross-border illegal wildlife trade. Conservationists applauded the historic move but say there is still much to learn. "It's hard to gauge to what degree the trade may be getting better or worse," says Steven Galster of Thailand's PeunPa Foundation. "This is because monitoring of the trade has gotten better, revealing more flow and leading to more seizures."

Asia is a global hotspot for the illegal trade in wild animals and plants, according to TRAFFIC, a global monitoring network. Factors...