ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network ASEANWEN

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ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN)
by Ronasit Maneesai
Transnational Environmental Crime in the Asia
Pacific March 22-23, Canberra, Australia
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• Introduction
• Progress
• Lessons Learned Gaps
• Discussion

Outline of Presentation
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Consumer
Producer/Exporter
Re-Export
Producer Re-Export
Regional Wildlife Trade Characteristics and
Hotspots
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What Does ASEAN-WEN Want to Achieve?

• Increased efficiency of intelligence exchange to
  combat trans-national wildlife crime
• Catalyse efficient inter-agency enforcement
  action
• Move from seizures through to prosecutions and
  sentencing to increase deterrents.

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ASEAN-WEN Introduction

• CoP 13, October 2004, Bangkok
• The ASEAN Regional Action Plan on Trade in Wild
  Fauna and Flora (2005-2010) developed by the
  ASEAN Experts Group on CITES (AEG-CITES), 3 May
  2005, Jakarta
• The 8th Meeting of the ASEAN Senior Officials on
  Forestry (ASOF), 18-20 August 2005, Phnom Penh

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ASEAN-WEN Introduction (con t)

• The ASEAN Ministers on Agriculture and Forestry
  (AMAF) on 29 September 2005 at the 27th Meeting
  of AMAF in Tagaytay City, the Philippines
• Thailand designated to lead Objective Two of the
  Regional Action Plan to promote networking
• ASEAN Wildlife Law Enforcement Network
  (ASEAN-WEN), previously referred to as the ASEAN
  CITES Enforcement Task Force in the Regional
  Action Plan

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Output The 1st ASEAN-WEN

• The recommendations of the International
  Executive Seminar on Implementation of the
  ASEAN-WEN
• Terms of Reference of ASEAN-WEN
• Programme Coordination Unit of ASEAN-WEN
• Nomination of National Focal Points for
  ASEAN-WEN
• Date and Venue of Next Meeting

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Terms of Reference of ASEAN-WEN

• Establish a network (previously referred to in
  the Action Plan as the ASEAN CITES Enforcement
  Task Force)
• Allocate the financial and human resources
  necessary for the effective enforcement
• Establish at the national level an ASEAN-WEN
  committee

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Terms of Reference of ASEAN-WEN

• Nominate the national focal point
• Hold a regular meeting
• Conduct awareness raising programme
• Produce training materials on combating wildlife
  crime
• Improve collaboration and implementation through
  existing initiatives

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ASEAN-WEN Progress

• Workshop on ASEAN Regional Wildlife Law
  Enforcement Network, 17-21 October 2005, Khao Yai
  National Park, THAILAND
• The Special Meeting of the ASEAN Ministers
  Responsible for the Implementation of CITES, 1
  December 2005, Erawan Hotel, Bangkok
• The 1st ASEAN-WEN, 22-25 May 2006, the Royal
  Orchid Sheraton, Bangkok
• Establish a Project Coordinating Unit (PCU) for
  ASEAN-WEN, to co-ordinate activities and share
  information.

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ASEAN-WEN Progress

• Philippines training course on Wildlife Crime
  Investigations (December 2006)
• Cambodia training course on Wildlife Crime
  Investigations (January 2007)
• Regional workshop for task force participants in
  Philippines (February 2007) to address specific
  trans-boundary issues and support task force
  development.
• Indonesia training course on Wildlife Crime
  Investigations (March 2007)

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ASEAN-WEN Next Steps

• Senior Officers ASEAN-WEN meeting in Indonesia
  (May 2007) to set the agenda for the network
• CITES CoP 14 in the Netherlands ASEAN-WEN would
  like to share experiences and engage other
  wildlife law enforcement networks.

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Results Wildlife Seizures
Enforcement Actions Pangolin Seizure - June 26,
2006 ? CITES, Customs, and Police Authorities
co-operate in Bangkok to intercept a shipment of
245 Malayan Pangolins being trans-shipped through
Thailand from Malaysia.
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Shahtoosh (wool from Tibetan Antelope) Bust July
14, 2006 After a long undercover investigation
Thai police break up a suspected shahtoosh trade
ring involving foreign nationals.
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Slow Loris Bust Nov 3, 2006 A Japanese man
arrested for trying to smuggle Slow Loris out of
Bangkoks new airport.
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Madagascar Reptile Smuggling Sept. 4,
2006 Thai Customs officials arrested a
Madagascar national for smuggling endangered
wildlife into Thailand via the countrys main
international airport. An investigation is
underway into a possible smuggling ring.
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Repatriation of Madagasy Endangered
Species January 5, 2007
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Political Support Chatuchak Market, February 21,
2007
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Lessons Learned

• National and International efforts in ASEAN to
  combat wildlife crime
• Inter-Agency and cross-jurisdictional
  co-operation
• Training and Capacity Building efforts, and
  agency needs
• The engagement with public prosecutors by the
  National ASEAN-WEN

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Lessons Learned

• The need to actively engage Non-ASEAN partners
  such as NGOs to support ASEAN-WEN's efforts to
  combat illegal wildlife trade
• The need to promote bilateral cooperation and
  other multilateral arrangements with neighboring
  countries to address current wildlife crimes
  (e.g., bi-lateral meeting at the borders among
  relevant authorities, Thai Lao, Thai-Cambodia,
  Thai- Myanmar)

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ASEAN-WEN Links with other networks/countries

• Opportunities
• Information Exchange What productive links can
  be established for intelligence exchange or joint
  operations with ASEAN-WEN focal points?
• Training and Capacity Building Are there any
  training materials that could be shared and/or
  adapted to enhance law enforcement co-operation?
• Exchanges of technical staff (e.g. embedding) for
  capacity building? Mutual Participation in
  training events and regional meetings?
• Ongoing cooperation?
• Co-Funding opportunities?

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Gaps!

• Best-practice standards for compliance, as well
  as evidence collection
• Forensics and case preparation, including the
  challenges of undercover operatives
• Intelligence and information management

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Agenda for Further Research

• Evidence collection
• DNA testing
• Intelligence and information management
• ?

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• Thanks
• ANU
• Department of International relations, Research
  School of Pacific and Asian Studies
• International Centre for Excellence in Asia
  Pacific
• Dept. of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant
  Conservation
• USAID
• TRAFFIC WildAid