Assessing wildlife law enforcement in Asia
Wildlife Enforcement Monitoring System
Wildlife crime is a growing global threat
CITES CoP14
The 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties
CoP14: The Hague, the Netherlands, 3 to 15 June 2007.
It has been estimated that US$6–10 billion of illegal wildlife trade occurs globally each year. The true extent of the problem is unknown, however, because there currently is no practical system for measuring the precise value of illegal trade in endangered species and animal parts, or for assessing its impact on the loss of biodiversity.
The smuggled animals typically end up as expensive pets or trophies in developed countries. Illicit animal parts are served as food in specialty restaurants, used in traditional medicines, or processed for clothing (hides and feathers) or ornamentation (ivory and rhino horns). The problem is acknowledged to be particularly acute in Asia, with many species being driven to the brink of extinction.
Comprehensive data on the issue is lacking
Efforts to monitor global illegal wildlife trade remain ineffective, in part because there is no reliable, comprehensive system for measuring seizures of contraband species, identifying the transit routes, or tracing the contraband back to its point of origin.
Representative flows of illegal imports of exotic pets into Japan. (Based on data collected from Japanese enforcement authorities during the pilot phase study of the WEMS project.)
While databases that record illicit trade in wildlife do exist — including the Trade Infraction and Global Enforcement Recording System (TIGERS) of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and databases operated by ICPO-Interpol, the European Union and the World Customs Organization — they suffer in varying degrees from such problems as the haphazard and incomplete submission of data and inadequate support resources.
The Wildlife Enforcement Monitoring System (WEMS), developed by United Nations University (UNU) in cooperation with the Asian Conservation Alliance (ACA), is proposed as a new model that might mitigate some of the current difficulties.
The WEMS model represents a fresh approach
UNU and ACA jointly launched the pilot phase of the Wildlife Enforcement Monitoring System project in 2006. The goal of the WEMS model is to document transboundary illegal wildlife trade as well as to provide a clearer picture, through temporal and spatial analysis of the data, about the current situation of illegal wildlife trade.
The WEMS project seeks to do this by collecting quantifiable data from government sources; compiling information about the point of origin, transit route and final destination of contraband species; and bringing the reality of the issue to the attention of international policy makers. A complementary objective is to build capacity within national monitoring/enforcement agencies and to foster partnerships between UN agencies and government institutions — thereby strengthening the national reporting process regarding wildlife law enforcement.
The pilot phase of the WEMS project has focused on Asia, and particularly on Japan as a final destination for contraband wildlife and animal parts; the model was tested using enforcement data collected from Japanese customs and police officials. The progress of the WEMS project was reviewed in 2006 by the CITES Secretariat at the CITES Mekong Sub-Regional Workshop in Kunming, China, as well as by the Interpol Wildlife Working Group (IWWG) meeting in Beijing.
WEMS uses GIS technology and electronic "ecomessage" reports
The WEMS project is a geographic information system (GIS) based initiative; it seeks to quantify and analyse transboundary wildlife crime so as to enable better monitoring of compliance with and enforcement of CITES rules. In the implementation phase, information on illegal extractions from native habitats and on seizures of attempted illicit exports and imports of contraband flora and fauna will be collected through a decentralized data-gathering process (with the assistance of government officials) and recorded into the WEMS database.
The Interpol "ecomessage" reporting format will be utilized for this process (in electronic form, to speed the procedure and avoid unnecessary paperwork). The collected information, including the trade route and the time at which transboundary trade or transit occurred, will be shared — while maintaining appropriate standards of confidentiality — with national enforcement authorities and policy makers worldwide.
The ultimate objective is to implement the WEMS model in each CITES member country, thereby establishing a global information base that can enable more effective monitoring of illegal wildlife trading routes. The project also will identify those regions where greater efforts are needed, and to generate reports and policy briefs on measures for strengthening environmental governance. Raising public awareness about wildlife crime is another important goal.
The WEMS project will produce a "route map" (and relevant analysis) of illicit wildlife trade, and a "global wildlife protection governance map" (depicting illegal extractions and successful seizures). These will be made available to the public on the WEMS website.
In the longer term, it is anticipated that the WEMS model can be replicated to monitor other forms of environmental crimes (such as illegal trade in precious minerals or toxic waste dumping) using the same "ecomessage" format.
The pilot phase of the WEMS project is supported by the International Fund for Animal Welfare and the Environmental System Research Institute.
Project Partners
UNU is an autonomous organ of the UN General Assembly dedicated to generating and transferring knowledge and strengthening capacities relevant to global issues of human security, development and welfare. It operates through a worldwide network of research and training centres and programmes, coordinated by UNU Centre in Tokyo.
Asian Conservation Alliance (ACA) is an international organization that works in collaboration with Asian partner non-governmental organizations to build up a regional framework for addressing the commercial exploitation of wildlife and promoting conservation and animal welfare.
Environmental Systems Research Institute designs and develops the world's leading geographic information system (GIS) technology — an important tool that helps shape the world around us. ESRI is headquartered in Redlands, California, and has offices worldwide.
International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) works to improve the welfare of wild and domestic animals throughout the world by reducing commercial exploitation of animals, protecting wildlife habitats and assisting animals in distress. IFAW supports animal welfare and conservation policies that advance the well-being of both animals and people.
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Page last modified 2019.04.16.
