Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what role his Department has in the protection of endangered species abroad.

Illegal wildlife trade is a serious threat to the world’s endangered species and combating it is a priority for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. It is a serious criminal industry worth more than £6 billion a year. It is fuelled by corruption and undermines good governance and the rule of law. We work with our overseas network, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for International Development to secure global action to combat it.