Still4Hill

Voters sent a message in November by splitting government control between Democrats and Republicans: They want people of different backgrounds to come together and solve our problems. This applies to big-ticket items and to matters that may not find their way onto the front page.

Among the issues on which we find common ground: the illegal wildlife trade.

The Illegal Wildlife Conference in London in October brought together conservationists and government leaders from across the globe, many representing countries where the illegal killing, trafficking and sale of wildlife parts taken from species large and small — including elephants, jaguars, rhinos, pangolins, birds and turtles — has reached crisis proportions. They left that conference more engaged than ever, the latest example of a broad consensus for global action.

We come from different parties, but we both agree that we cannot remain on the sidelines in this fight. Animal poaching — driven by criminal syndicates every bit as ruthless as those that traffic in arms, drugs and humans — corrupts local and national institutions that seek to manage natural resources, imperiling good governance and the rule of law. It enables the emergence and spread of diseases from wildlife to humans and livestock and directly challenges the economic, social and environmental pillars embedded in the United Nations’ sustainable development goals.

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