;)
Operation RAMP ran from September–October and involved national wildlife enforcement authorities, including police, Customs and specialized units from participating countries.
The Operation focused particularly on illegal activities relating to the trade and possession of endangered reptiles and investigations were carried out on individuals and companies as well as inspections of premises such as seaports and wholesalers.
INTERPOL’s Environmental Crime Programme unit acted as a key operational communications and intelligence centre during the two-month operation, facilitating the exchange of information between the participating enforcement agencies.
“Our goal in Operation RAMP was to detect and apprehend suspected wildlife criminals, whilst also furthering co-operation and collaboration between agencies and countries in an effort to enhance the fight against organized environmental crime,” said Bernd Rossbach, Director of INTERPOL’s Specialized Crime unit.
“While investigations will continue well beyond the conclusion of Operation RAMP, this operation has shown what the international law enforcement community can collaboratively achieve against suspected environmental criminals and their networks.
“The success of this operation would not have been possible without the close co-operation and dedication of the police, customs, wildlife law enforcement agencies and specialized units in all of the participating countries.”
John Scanlon, Secretary-General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), who was briefed on the results of the operation during a visit to INTERPOL headquarters on Tuesday, said"The fact that INTERPOL helps co-ordinate such worldwide operations illustrates the level of serious criminality that is now commonly linked to illegal trade in wildlife.
“I congratulate all the national agencies that participated in Operation RAMP, and the INTERPOL officers here in Lyon who supported them. Such operations reinforce the very close working relationship that exists between CITES and INTERPOL."
Illegal international trade in reptiles is a serious threat to species such as tortoises which are highly prized as pets. There have been a number of recent high profile cases involving illicit trade in reptiles, includingtwo seizures a month apartof hundreds ofMalagasy tortoises found in luggageby Customs officers in Malaysia and the arrest and subsequent conviction of notorious wildlife traderAnson Wong, also in Malaysia.
The issue of wild-caught reptiles being mis-declared as captive-bred to enable their export from Asia into the European Union was examined in a recentTRAFFIC report for the European Commission(PDF, 340 KB), and the issue of how to tell the origins of reptiles in trade was the subject of a jointUK Border Agency (UKBA)–TRAFFIC Europe workshopfor enforcement officers across the EU earlier this year.
Operation RAMP is the second global operation led by INTERPOL against wildlife crime, and results to date have exceeded those of its predecessor,Operation TRAM(February 2010), which targeted the illegal trade in traditional medicines containing wildlife products and resulted in the seizure of products worth more than EUR10 million.
понедельник, 31 января 2011 г.
TRAFFIC - Wildlife Trade News - INTERPOL’s Operation RAMP targets illegal reptile trade
воскресенье, 30 января 2011 г.
TRAFFIC - Wildlife Trade News - Wong’s sentence increased to five years
;)
The change followed an appeal by the Attorney-General's Chambers over the earlier sentence.
In his judgement, Justice Mohtarudin Baki of the Shah Alam High Court said that the Sessions Court judge, who initially sentenced Wong, had not taken into account the large number of snakes in Wong's possession in his ruling.
Had the snakes escaped, the safety of the airport staff and passengers would have been in jeopardy, Justice Mohtarudin Baki said.
He added that the accused was motivated by profit and was willing to smuggle with no concern for the safety of those around him and had no regard for the law. In reaching his decision, Justice Mohtarudin also took into account public interest in the case, noting that it should always prevail.
He then said the earlier sentence of six-months jail and RM190,000 (USD61,500) in fines was overruled before going on to announce the new, increased jail term to a packed courtroom.
In addition to the longer prison sentence, the court also ordered the RM190,000 fine imposed on Wong in the previous judgment be returned to him as this was his first offence in the country.
Wong’s defence counsel Datuk Seri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah immediately announced his intention to appeal the sentence.
“The message to wildlife smugglers in Malaysia is loud and clear: carry on as you are and you will be spending years of your life behind bars,” said TRAFFIC Southeast Asia senior programme officer Kanitha Krishnasamy.
TRAFFIC Southeast Asia Regional Director, William Schaedla also expressed optimism over the sentence.
“This is a great start. We hope Malaysia’s new‘get-tough’ stance will continue with investigations and convictions of other large-scale wildlife smugglers still operating in the country.
“We also hope other nations in Southeast Asia take notice of today’s watershed ruling. For far too long, countries in this region have allowed their reputations to be tarnished and their natural treasures to be taken by thieves.
“This bold sentence shows they can address wildlife crime when the will is there.”
суббота, 29 января 2011 г.
TRAFFIC - Wildlife Trade News - More than 1,000 Tigers reduced to skin and bones in last decade
;)
Reduced to Skin and Bones(PDF, 4 MB) shows that from January 2000 to April 2010, parts of between 1,069 and 1,220 Tigers were seized in 11 of the 13 tiger range countries—or an average of 104 to 119 animals per year.
Of the 11, India, China and Nepal ranked highest in the number of tiger part seizures, the report states, with India by far the highest number of Tiger part seizures at 276, representing between 469 and 533 Tigers. China, with 40, had the second highest number of seizures, or 116-124 Tigers, and Nepal reported 39 seizures, or 113-130 Tigers, according to the report.
“Given half the world’s Tigers live in India, it’s no real surprise the country has the highest number of seizures, and while a high number of seizures could indicate high levels of trade or effective enforcement work, or a combination of both, it does highlight the nation’s tigers are facing severe poaching pressure,” said Pauline Verheij, joint TRAFFIC and WWF Tiger Trade Programme Manager and an author of the report.
“With parts of potentially more than 100 wild Tigers actually seized each year, one can only speculate what the true numbers of animals are being plundered.”;)
Tiger parts reported in trade ranged from complete skins, skeletons and even whole animals—live and dead, through to bones, meat, claws, teeth, skulls, penises and other body parts.
They are used by a variety of cultures for decoration, in traditional medicines and even as good luck charms.
“First and foremost, the report demonstrates that illegal Tiger trade continues despite considerable and repeated efforts to curtail it by many governments and organizations in both consumer and range countries,” said Mike Baltzer, leader of WWF’s Tigers Alive initiative. TRAFFIC is a joint programme of WWF and IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
“Clearly enforcement efforts to date are either ineffective or an insufficient deterrent,” said Baltzer.“Not only must the risk of getting caught increase significantly, but seizures and arrests must also be followed up by swift prosecution and adequate sentencing, reflecting the seriousness of crimes against Tigers.;)
“But good enforcement alone will not solve the problem. To save Tigers in the wild, concerted action is needed to reduce the demand for Tiger parts altogether in key countries in Asia,” said Steven Broad, Executive Director of TRAFFIC.
Enforcement efforts to date, the authors conclude“point to a lack of political will among those responsible at national and international levels for protecting Tigers from illegal killing and trade.”
“A paradigm shift in terms of commitment is needed and all stakeholders will have to join forces to create an intelligence-driven, well co-ordinated, trans-boundary and sustained push against forces driving one of the most legendary species on Earth to extinction,” says the report.;)
Wild Tiger numbers are in steep decline, caused by a combination of poaching and illegal trade in the animals themselves, coupled with habitat loss and encroachment and excessive poaching of key prey species. A century ago there were around 100,000 wild Tigers; today the figure is believed to be as few as 3,200.
The report comes as heads of governments from tiger range states prepare to meet at a tiger summit later this month in St. Petersburg, Russia to finalize the Global Tiger Recovery Program, a plan that aims to double the number of tigers in the wild by 2022. It will include a major enforcement push by the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC), which comprises CITES, INTERPOL, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the World Bank, and the World Customs Organization. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will host the International Tiger Forum from 21–24 November and representatives from all 13 tiger range countries are expected to attend.
“The forthcoming summit is a vital one for the future of wild Tigers, their very future hangs in the balance,” said Broad.
ENDS
More information
Richard Thomas, Communications Co-ordinator, TRAFFIC. Tel: +44 1223 279068, mobile + 44 752 6646 216, email: Richard.thomas@traffic.org
Ian Morrison, Media Officer, WWF International. Tel: +41 22 364 9554, mobile: +41 79 874 6853 email: imorrison@wwfint.org
Notes
Reduced to Skin and Bones. An Analysis of Tiger Seizures from 11 Tiger Range Countries (2000–2010)(PDF, 4 MB) by Pauline Verheij, Kaitlyn-Elizabeth Foley and Katalina Engel.
TRAFFIC works to support government agencies in law enforcement networking across Asia and globally to combat illegal wildlife trade. Technical assistance across the enforcement continuum, including facilitation of inter-governmental dialogues, engaging the judicial sector, and working with WWF to improve linkages from national level agencies to field-based rangers, is provided on demand to member countries of the ASEAN and South Asia Wildlife Enforcement networks, as well as to China and its immediate neighbours.
пятница, 28 января 2011 г.
TRAFFIC - Wildlife Trade News - Myanmar border markets act as deadly trade gateway for Tigers
;)
Bangkok, Thailand, 19th November 2010—Black markets along Myanmar, Thailand and China’s shared borders play a crucial role facilitating the deadly illicit trade in Tigers and other endangered species say TRAFFIC and WWF in the lead up to the International Tiger Forum taking place next week in St Petersburg, Russia.
The Big Cat Trade in Myanmar and Thailand(PDF, 1.5 MB) report documents black market sales of large wild felines. Live big cats, including endangered Tigers and a rare Asiatic Lion were observed in trade. Hundreds of Tiger and leopard parts, representing over 400 individual animals, were also observed during nearly a decade of investigations in Myanmar and Thailand.
The report is accompanied by a short documentary calledClosing a Deadly Gatewaythat illustrates the illegal trade described in the report. The film shows interviews with poachers and alarming footage of butchered tigers.
“With as few as 3,200 wild Tigers worldwide, the ongoing large-scale trade documented in this report cannot be taken lightly. Illegal trade poses the most immediate and dire threat to the survival of Tigers. Moreover, it puts all Asia’s big felines at serious risk,” noted TRAFFIC Southeast Asia Regional Director, Dr William Schaedla.
“Wildlife laws in Myanmar and Thailand clearly prohibit trafficking in Tigers and other big cats. We urge authorities to bring the full weight of the law to bear upon traffickers.”;)
The report comes as Tiger range country governments, including representatives from Myanmar, China, and Thailand, are expected to meet in St. Petersburg, Russia hosted by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
“A critical part of saving wild Tigers must be to shut down the illegal trade in Tiger parts,” said Michael Baltzer, head of WWF’s Tigers Alive initiative.“With all the Tiger range countries convening this month in Russia for a groundbreaking summit on the future of the Tiger, illegal trade such as this must stay front and centre in the negotiations.”;)
“There is an urgent need to step up efforts if the region is to save its declining Tiger populations. We need to enhance information gathering and ensure government and non-government agencies share information in transparent and timely ways from the local level to the regional scale,” said Peter Cutter, Co-ordinator for WWF Greater Mekong Region’s Tiger conservation in Thailand.
Tiger populations in the Greater Mekong—an area that includes Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam—have plummeted from an estimated 1,200 during the last Year of the Tiger in 1998 to about 350 today.
“Alarmingly, the landscape between Myanmar and Thailand holds the greatest hope for Tiger population recovery in this region,” said Cutter,“but this can only happen if there are unprecedented and co-ordinated regional efforts to tackle illegal wildlife trade.”;)
TRAFFIC Southeast Asia Director, William Schaedla, summarized the problem.“The area is struggling with governance and Tigers are easy money for everyone from mafia types to anti-government opposition groups. Some of these players should be countered with direct enforcement actions. Others might be receptive to work through regional agreements and international bodies in order to address the problem.”
For further information please contact:
Elizabeth John, Senior Communications Officer, TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, T: +603 7880 3940, +60122079790 Email: jlizzjohn@yahoo.com
Nicole Frisina, Communications Manager, WWF Greater Mekong Programme, Mobile in Thailand +66837878859. Email: nicole.frisina@wwf.panda.org
To download the report visit:
http://www.traffic.org/species-reports/traffic_species_mammals61.pdf
High-res photos from the report visit:
http://www.divshare.com/gallery/796497-3a9
B-roll footage of Tigers and Tiger trade as well as high resolution footage fromClosing the Deadly Gatewayare available on request.
About TRAFFIC
TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, works to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature. TRAFFIC is a joint programme of IUCN and WWF. Across Asia, TRAFFIC works to support government agencies in law enforcement networking to combat illegal wildlife trade. Technical assistance across the enforcement continuum, including facilitation of inter-governmental dialogues, engaging the judicial sector, and working with WWF to improve linkages from national level agencies to field-based rangers, is provided on demand to member countries of the ASEAN and South Asia Wildlife Enforcement networks, as well as to China and its immediate neighbours.
www.traffic.org
About WWF
WWF is one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organizations, with over 5 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries. WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the earth's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.
www.panda.org/media for latest news and media resources
четверг, 27 января 2011 г.
TRAFFIC - Wildlife Trade News - Experts can tell the wood from the trees
;)
The conference onGenetic and isotopic fingerprinting techniques—practical tools to verify the declared origin of woodwas organized by the German Technical Development Co-operation (GTZ) and WWF Germany.
Although pieces of timber appear identical to the untrained eye, each has a unique composition that can be determined through analysis of the genetic and chemical characteristics of the timber, the so-called“genetic and stable isotope fingerprint.”
The technique of genetic fingerprinting is already widely used in other applications, for example in paternity tests and forensic analyses, while isotopic analyses are already widely applied to identify the origin of agricultural products and food. Applying the tests to timber would allow its origin to be checked independently from any documentation system.
“Unlike common methods of marking timber, such as tags, ink and barcodes, timber‘fingerprinting’ uses information that is fixed inside the wood and can not be tampered with,” said Stephanie von Meibom, TRAFFIC’s European Programme Co-ordinator.
“The potential for verification of the legality and origin of timber in trade is obvious.”;)
GTZ and WWF together with their partners, The Forest Trust (TFT), Johann Heinrich von Thünen-Institute (vTI) and TÜV Rhineland / AgroIsolab presented the results of two projects to demonstrate the applicability of fingerprinting techniques for timber from managed natural forests in Central Africa and for CITES-listed species such as Mahogany.
“The common application of timber‘fingerprinting’ would be a massive support for implementation of regulations like the US Lacey Act, the EU Illegal Timber Regulation and the FLEGT Voluntary Partnership Agreements,” said von Meibom.
Around 70 workshop participants included scientists, private sector representatives, non-governmental organization representatives including TRAFFIC, plus agencies involved in the timber sector such as the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna) and FLEGT (Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade) authorities in timber producing and importing countries.
вторник, 25 января 2011 г.
TRAFFIC - Wildlife Trade News - Customs meet to tackle Russia-China cross-border smuggling of wildlife
Representatives from the Federal Russia Customs, Far East Customs Directorate, Far East Operative Customs, Siberian Customs Directorate, General Customs Directorate of China, TRAFFIC Russia and TRAFFIC China met from 16–18 November in Vladivostok, through a programme supported by WWF Russia, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK.
During the meeting, participants carried out an analysis of the current situation regarding wildlife trafficking across the Russian-Chinese border, and discussed practical ways it could be addressed.
A trans-boundary“Action plan on International Co-operation between the Customs of Russia and China to control illegal cross-border trafficking of wild animals, plants and their derivatives” was drafted based on a needs analysis and information provided by Russian and Chinese customs officers and by TRAFFIC representatives.
The draft Action Plan builds upon the Protocol between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the People’s Republic of China on Tiger Protection of 10 November 1997, and lays down a sound framework for co-operative actions between the two countries. It is anticipated it will lead to a formal bilateral agreement between Russia and China.
“Once endorsed, the Action Plan will provide important and practical steps towards co-operative and effective enforcement actions to regulate cross-border wildlife trade,” said Alexey Vaisman Senior TRAFFIC programme co-ordinator and WWF representative in Russia.
The meeting took place just ahead of the International Tiger Forum in St Petersburg, where leaders from the 13 Tiger range countries issued a Declaration and adopted a Global Tiger Recovery Programme (GTRP).
The Declaration commits the countries to a variety of measures to protect Tigers, including a commitment to work“collaboratively to eradicate poaching, smuggling, and illegal trade of tigers, their parts, and derivatives.”
Demand for Tiger parts is fuelling the poaching of Tigers, especially in South-East Asia and India. Currently the estimated number of wild Tigers is around 3,200 animals, down from 100,000 a Century ago.
“Tigers are in serious danger because of the illicit trade in Tiger parts,” said Vaisman.
“The meeting of Customs officers on both sides of the Russian-Chinese border was a timely one in preparation for implementation of the commitments made at the St Petersburg Tiger Forum.”
понедельник, 24 января 2011 г.
TRAFFIC - Wildlife Trade News - International collaboration to strengthen Viet Nam’s wildlife trade enforcement
The two-day workshop will bring together Vietnamese and international enforcement agencies to share challenges and best methods in combating illegal wildlife trade, with the goal of enhancing existing mechanisms in controlling the illegal cross-border trade. Discussions will also draw from the knowledge of enforcement experts in other fields of illegal trade, such as international drugs and human trafficking.
Representatives from international organizations including INTERPOL, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, CITES Secretariat, World Customs Organization, ASEAN-Wildlife Enforcement Network, and South Africa National Wildlife Crime Reaction Unit, TRAFFIC Southeast Asia and Wildlife Conservation Society will be joining nearly 30 representatives from national Vietnamese enforcement agencies.
“This workshop is a unique opportunity for key enforcement agencies from Viet Nam and international organizations to learn from each other and co-ordinate efforts against international wildlife crimes in the ASEAN-WEN and CITES frameworks,” said Dr Ha Cong Tuan, Deputy Director of the Directorate of Forestry.
CITES is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and is the main multilateral agreement regulating the international trade in wildlife.
Despite an increase in enforcement efforts by international organizations and governments to control illegal wildlife trade at the national, regional and global level, this trade continues in many countries, threatening species such as Tiger, rhinoceros and elephants with extinction. Complex routes involving organized trans-boundary crimes connect illegal wildlife to consumers around the world. Southeast Asia, including Viet Nam, has become both a consumer of wildlife and a conduit of products destined for other countries.
The workshop will have a special focus on the illegal Tiger trade. In 2010, this iconic species has received a great deal of international attention, culminating in the International Tiger Forum held in St Petersburg, Russia last week, where delegates from Tiger range States, including Viet Nam, signed commitments to protect Tigers, Tiger prey and Tiger habitat, in order to increase the world’s tiger population by the year 2022 to 7,000 from the current 3,200 individual tigers remaining.
“The hope is that discussions such as these, which draw on the expertise of both international and local agencies, will aid in the global fight against illegal trade in key species such as the Tiger,” said Dr William Schaedla, Director of TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, the wildlife trade monitoring organization providing technical support for the event.
For more information, please contact:
Sarah Morgan, Communications Officer, TRAFFIC Greater Mekong Programme, Tel. +84 4 3726 1575 Ext 204, E-mail: smorgan@traffic.netnam.vn
CITES Management Authority of Viet Nam
A3, 2 Ngọc Hà, BaĐình, Hà Nội
Tel. +84 4 3733 5676 ; Fax: +84 4 3734 6742, Email: cites_vn.kl@mard.gov.vn; fpdvn@hn.vnn.vn
Thomas Osborn, Co-ordinator, TRAFFIC Greater Mekong Programme, Tel. +84 4 3726 1575 Ext 201, E-mail: tosborn@traffic.netnam.vn
NOTES
Vietnamese participants include officers from the Viet–WEN, Forest Protection Department, Customs anti-smuggling Department, Environmental Police, Agricultural and Rural Security, Border Army, Economic investigation police, Transport police, INTERPOL National Central Bureau, and Supreme People’s Procuracy.
The event is being funded by the World Bank’s GEF programme, implemented by the Forestry Directorate of Viet Nam, with technical support from TRAFFIC and the Wildlife Conservation Society.