16 U.S.C. § 7611 — Purposes

The purposes of this chapter are— (1) to support a collaborative, interagency approach to address wildlife trafficking; (2) to protect and conserve the remaining populations of wild elephants, rhinoceroses, and other species threatened by poaching and the illegal wildlife trade; (3) to disrupt regional and global transnational organized criminal networks and to prevent the illegal wildlife trade from being used as a source of financing for criminal groups that undermine United States and global security interests; (4) to prevent wildlife poaching and trafficking from being a means to make a living in focus countries; (5) to support the efforts of, and collaborate with, individuals, communities, local organizations, and foreign governments to combat poaching and wildlife trafficking; (6) to assist focus countries in implementation of national wildlife anti-trafficking and poaching laws; and (7) to ensure that United States assistance to prevent and suppress illicit wildlife trafficking is carefully planned and coordinated, and that it is systematically and rationally prioritized on the basis of detailed analysis of the nature and severity of threats to wildlife and the willingness and ability of foreign partners to cooperate effectively toward these ends.