A new campaign by international NGOs The Nature Conservancy (TNC), International Fund For Animal Welfare (IFAW) and Chinese social media portal Tencent will call for people to boycott the online wildlife trade.

The project, called Tencent for the Planet, was announced at a press conference held in Beijing on May 22, the UN's International Day for Biological Diversity.

Increasing demand for items such as shark fin and ivory have caused many animals to fall on endangered lists or even go extinct. According to Mark Tercek, CEO of TNC, as many as 25,000 elephants die each year due to the ivory trade. Meanwhile, online platforms and social media have made the illegal trade of these items easier than ever.

Tercek pointed out that with partners like Tencent, which services millions of WeChat and QQ International users, it will be possible to reduce the trade of illegal items online. 

Guo Kaitian, senior executive vice president of Tencent, said that Tencent will use all the means at its disposal to wipe illegal messages leading to online wildlife trading from their various platforms, as well as from the personal and public accounts of those involved in such trade.

Global Times