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Q6 (IAS/2017) Environment & Ecology › Biodiversity & Protected Areas › Threatened species conservation Official Key

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 ?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: B
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. [1] https://cec.org/files/documents/publications/2226-illegal-trade-in-wildlife-north-american-perspective-en.pdf
  2. [2] https://iucn.org/sites/default/files/2022-05/traffic_review_final_report.pdf
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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. Consider the following statements in respect of Trade Related Analysis of Fauna and Flora in Commerce (TRAFFIC) : 1. TRAFFIC is a bureau …
At a glance
Origin: Mostly Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 5/10
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This 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).

How this question is built

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)?
Origin: Weak / unclear Fairness: Borderline / guessy
Indirect textbook clues
Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 28: International Organisation and Conventions > 28.7. TRAFFIC: THE WILDLIFE TRADE MONITORING NETWORK > p. 399
Strength: 5/5
“• o TRAFFIC is a joint conservation programme of WWF and IUCN. • It was established in 1976 by the Species Survival Commission of IUCN, principally as a response to the entry into force during the previous year of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). • TRAFFIC is an international network, consisting of TRAFFIC International, based in Cambridge, UK with offices on five continents.”
Why relevant

Explicitly states TRAFFIC is a joint conservation programme of WWF and IUCN and is an international network based in Cambridge.

How to extend

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.

Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 28: International Organisation and Conventions > Nature conservation > p. 389
Strength: 4/5
“tA5 • r. United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) • e. Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) • 3. Ramsar Convention on Wetlands • 4. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES) • 5. The Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network (TRAFFIC) • 6. Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) • 7. Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking (CAWT) • 8. International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) • g.”
Why relevant

Lists 'The Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network (TRAFFIC)' separately among international conservation instruments and bodies, alongside UN and non‑UN treaties.

How to extend

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.

Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 28: International Organisation and Conventions > 28.6. CITES > p. 398
Strength: 4/5
“r In the gallery, global discussion hegan focusing on the rate at which the world's wild animals and plants were being threatened by unregulated international trade. • The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an international agreement between governments entered into force in 1975, and became the only treaty to ensure that international trade in plants and animals does not threaten their survival in the wild. • Currently 176 countries are Parties to CITES. • CITES is administered through the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)”
Why relevant

States that CITES is administered through UNEP and connects TRAFFIC historically (TRAFFIC was established in response to CITES per snippet 9).

How to extend

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.

Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 28: International Organisation and Conventions > 28.1. UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME (UNEP) > p. 387
Strength: 3/5
“The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system, and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment.”
Why relevant

Defines UNEP as the leading global environmental authority that sets agenda and implements environmental dimensions within the UN system.

How to extend

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.

Statement analysis

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