Wildlife Enforcement Network ASEAN-WEN
ASEAN-WEN Support Project
To combat the illegal wildlife trade effectively, law enforcement agencies must be trained to match the tactics of the wildlife crime offenders. We must form a global network of police, customs, and environmental management agencies to eliminate large-scale wildlife crime. [USAID]
There is hope for the future in wildlife conservation as international cooperation and commitment are making major breakthroughs in preventing the illegal exploitation of wildlife. Through the support of USAID, Wildlife Alliance working with TRAFFIC through the support and sponsorship of USAID is addressing this problem [of the illegal wildlife trade] through the support of a groundbreaking project known as the Association of Southeast Asian Nation's Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN).
"There is hope for the future in wildlife conservation as international cooperation and commitment are making major breakthroughs in preventing the illegal exploitation of wildlife."
This project is assisting Asian countries in the formation and implementation of a regional wildlife law enforcement network which will help break up smuggling rings of wildlife traders.Wildlife Alliance's contribution to the ASEAN-WEN strategy includes establishing and training task forces to combat illegal wildlife trade between countries, and facilitating seminars where countries can share information on what anti-trafficking activities work best for them.
Southeast Asia and the primary wildlife consumer country, China, represent the main geographic focus of this project. Other key countries linked to the region's trade, such as Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United States, are also being targeted as potential participants. Thailand has taken the initial lead on the project for several reasons, including its status as a major transit and consumer country for illegal goods.
To read more about ASEAN-WEN, please visit their website at www.asean-wen.org.
ILEA TRAINING:
In September of 2003, Wildlife Alliance, in conjunction with the governments of the United States and Thailand, ran a two-week "Wildlife Crime Investigation" training course for police and environmental officers from eight Asian nations. Hosted by the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) in Bangkok, the intensive course covered a wide range of technical discussions, lessons and practical exerceises in the field designed to increase officer knowledge about commercial poaching and trafficking in wildlife and links between nature crime and other forms of organized crime, while recommending steps for controlling these illegal activities within the country and through cross-border cooperation. Law enforcement officers left the course with a better understanding and appreciation of the significance of wildlife crime and with practical knowledge about the ways they can assist in the fight against it.
