Question map
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.
- Statement 1: Is Trade Related Analysis of Fauna and Flora in Commerce (TRAFFIC) a bureau under the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)?
- Statement 2: Is the mission of Trade Related Analysis of Fauna and Flora in Commerce (TRAFFIC) to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature?
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.
- Explicitly names TRAFFIC’s mission using the exact phrasing of the statement.
- Directly ties TRAFFIC’s mission to trade in wild plants and animals and conservation of nature.
- States TRAFFIC is a nongovernmental organization whose mission matches the statement exactly.
- Links TRAFFIC’s role to ensuring trade in wild plants and animals does not threaten conservation.
- Affirms TRAFFIC’s purpose to ensure wildlife trade is not a threat to conservation, reinforcing the mission claim.
- Provides historical context while restating the core objective about trade and conservation.
Lists TRAFFIC as 'The Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network' alongside other nature-conservation agreements and bodies addressing wildlife trade.
A student could infer that an organisation described as a 'wildlife trade monitoring network' likely works on impacts of trade and therefore may have a mission related to preventing trade-driven threats to conservation; they could then compare TRAFFIC's role with CITES' stated goal.
States CITES is the treaty to ensure international trade in plants and animals does not threaten their survival in the wild.
A student could use CITES' explicit goal as a model of institutional aims in the wildlife-trade sphere and reason that other trade-monitoring organisations (like TRAFFIC) operate with compatible objectives.
Gives the concise goal: 'To ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature.'
A student can treat this as the canonical objective for international wildlife-trade governance and hypothesise that monitoring networks such as TRAFFIC support that objective through monitoring and reporting.
Notes as a conservation step that 'International trade in wild plants and animals be regulated.'
This general rule links regulation/monitoring of trade to conservation goals, so a student could infer that organisations focused on wildlife trade monitoring contribute to enforcing that step.
Describes how trade and markets (e.g., wildlife souvenirs) contribute to illegal harvesting and threats to species.
A student could reason that monitoring and analysis of such trade (TRAFFIC's described area) would be aimed at identifying and reducing those threats, consistent with a conservation-oriented mission.
This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.
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- [THE VERDICT]: Sitter. Directly covered in standard static books like Shankar IAS (Chapter 28: International Organisations).
- [THE CONCEPTUAL TRIGGER]: International Environmental Governance > Distinction between UN Agencies, Intergovernmental bodies, and NGO Networks.
- [THE HORIZONTAL EXPANSION]: Memorize the 'Parents': TRAFFIC = IUCN + WWF; IPCC = WMO + UNEP; GEF = World Bank (Trustee); CITES = Administered by UNEP; IUCN = Hybrid (Govt + NGO, not a UN Agency).
- [THE STRATEGIC METACOGNITION]: Whenever you study an acronym (TRAFFIC, CAWT, MIKE), ask three questions: 1. Is it UN or Non-UN? 2. Is it binding or voluntary? 3. Who funds/administers it? The examiner relies on you assuming 'It sounds official, so it must be UNEP.'
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One reference explicitly identifies TRAFFIC as a joint conservation programme of WWF and IUCN, clarifying its institutional ownership.
High-yield for UPSC: distinguishes NGOs/partnership programmes (TRAFFIC) from UN agencies/bureaus (UNEP). Questions often test which body administers or implements conventions versus which are independent conservation networks. Learn by mapping major conservation actors (WWF, IUCN, TRAFFIC, UNEP) and their relationships.
- Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 28: International Organisation and Conventions > 28.7. TRAFFIC: THE WILDLIFE TRADE MONITORING NETWORK > p. 399
A provided reference states that CITES is administered through UNEP, a fact frequently conflated with related entities like TRAFFIC.
Important for syllabus areas on international environmental conventions: distinguishing the administrative authority of a treaty (CITES via UNEP) from monitoring networks or NGOs that support implementation. Practice by listing key conventions and their administering agencies to avoid misattribution in mains/objective questions.
- Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 28: International Organisation and Conventions > 28.6. CITES > p. 398
References describe UNEP as the leading global environmental authority, helping evaluate which bodies fall under UNEP versus independent networks.
Core concept for environment polity topics: knowing UNEP's mandate and functions helps answer questions about which instruments and bodies it administers or oversees. Integrate this with study of multilateral environmental agreements and UN system structure; prepare via tabular summaries linking agencies, mandates, and related conventions.
- Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 28: International Organisation and Conventions > 28.1. UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME (UNEP) > p. 387
References explicitly state CITES' goal to ensure international trade in plants and animals does not threaten their survival; this is the core normative aim referenced in the statement.
High-yield for UPSC: questions often ask roles/objectives of global environmental treaties. Understanding CITES' explicit objective helps answer questions on trade regulation, species protection, and international environmental governance. Learn by memorising treaty aims, membership, and administrative links (e.g., UNEP).
- Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 28: International Organisation and Conventions > 28.6. CITES > p. 398
- Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 28: International Organisation and Conventions > Goal > p. 399
One reference names TRAFFIC as 'The Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network', linking it to international wildlife trade monitoring though its exact mission is not stated in the provided text.
Important to distinguish organisations: UPSC often tests institutional roles (monitoring vs treaty-making). Know which bodies monitor trade (TRAFFIC) versus which set binding rules (CITES). Prepare by tabulating organisations, functions, and interlinks.
- Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 28: International Organisation and Conventions > Nature conservation > p. 389
- Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 28: International Organisation and Conventions > Goal > p. 399
Multiple references highlight regulation of international wildlife trade as a recommended conservation step or strategy.
Conceptually central for environment syllabus and GS papers: shows link between trade policy and biodiversity conservation. Enables answers on policy instruments, conservation strategies and institutional responses. Study by mapping conservation problems to regulatory solutions and related conventions.
- FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 14: Biodiversity and Conservation > CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY > p. 118
- Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 4: BIODIVERSITY > Key strategies > p. 29
- Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 28: International Organisation and Conventions > Goal > p. 399
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Since TRAFFIC monitors trade, the logical sibling is CITES monitoring tools. Look up MIKE (Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants) and ETIS (Elephant Trade Information System)—both are CITES programmes, unlike TRAFFIC which is an independent network.
Apply the 'Motherhood Statement' logic to Statement 2: It describes the mission in broad, positive, non-restrictive terms ('ensure trade... is not a threat'). These are 95% likely to be true. For Statement 1, if you know even one fact—that TRAFFIC is associated with WWF—you can eliminate 'Bureau under UNEP' because WWF is an NGO.
Link to GS-3 Internal Security: Illegal wildlife trade (monitored by TRAFFIC) is the 4th largest illegal trade globally, often funding insurgency and organized crime (e.g., Rhino poaching in North East India linked to insurgent financing).
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