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Consider the following statements in respect of Trade Related Analysis of Fauna and Flora in Commerce (TRAFFIC) : 1. TRAFFIC is a bureau under United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). 2. The mission of TRAFFIC is to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature. Which of the above statements is/are correct ?
Explanation
The correct answer is option B (statement 2 only).
**Statement 1 is incorrect**: TRAFFIC is a nongovernmental organization[1], not a bureau under UNEP. TRAFFIC operates independently as an NGO, though it works in partnership with conservation organizations like WWF and IUCN.
**Statement 2 is correct**: TRAFFIC's mission is to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature.[2] This accurately describes TRAFFIC's core purpose of monitoring and regulating wildlife trade to protect biodiversity and prevent illegal trafficking of endangered species.
Therefore, only statement 2 is correct, making option B the right answer. TRAFFIC plays a crucial role in wildlife trade monitoring globally, working with governments and international bodies like CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), but it maintains its status as an independent NGO rather than a UN bureau.
Sources- [1] https://cec.org/files/documents/publications/2226-illegal-trade-in-wildlife-north-american-perspective-en.pdf
- [2] https://iucn.org/sites/default/files/2022-05/traffic_review_final_report.pdf
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Guest previewThis is a classic 'Parent Body Swap' trap. UPSC loves to take a non-UN body (like TRAFFIC, which is IUCN + WWF) and claim it is under a UN agency (UNEP). While the skeleton flags this as current affairs, this is actually a static 'Sitter' found in every standard Environment textbook (e.g., Shankar IAS, Chapter 28).
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
Explicitly states TRAFFIC is a joint conservation programme of WWF and IUCN and is an international network based in Cambridge.
A student could use the fact that WWF and IUCN are non‑UN organisations to infer TRAFFIC is likely not an internal UNEP bureau and then check organisational charters or websites to confirm.
Lists 'The Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network (TRAFFIC)' separately among international conservation instruments and bodies, alongside UN and non‑UN treaties.
A student could note TRAFFIC is treated as an independent network in such lists and so compare listings of UNEP bureaus to see if TRAFFIC appears among them.
States that CITES is administered through UNEP and connects TRAFFIC historically (TRAFFIC was established in response to CITES per snippet 9).
A student could reason that while CITES is under UNEP, organisations created in response to CITES (like TRAFFIC) might still be independent partners rather than UNEP bureaux and should be checked against UNEP's official agency structure.
Defines UNEP as the leading global environmental authority that sets agenda and implements environmental dimensions within the UN system.
A student could use this definition to identify what counts as a UNEP bureau (organisationally integrated units within the UN system) and then compare TRAFFIC's described governance to UNEP's organisational components.
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