symposium: towards zero poaching in asia post-symposium …

Symposium: Towards Zero Poaching in Asia

Post-Symposium Report

Hosted by the Government of Nepal


February 2-6, 2015Kathmandu, Nepal

NTNC

CONTENTSOVERVIEW 01

ZERO POACHING TOOLKIT INFOGRAPHIC 02

THE SYMPOSIUM 03Opening Ceremony 04

Day 1 04

Day 2 06

Day 3 08

Day 4 09

Closing Ceremony 11

COUNTRY FEEDBACK ANALYSIS 12Summary Results Part 1 12

Assessment Results 13

Technology Results 14

Capacity Results 15

Prosecution Results 16

Community Results 17

Cooperation Results 18

Summary Results Part 2 19

APPENDIX I: AGENDA 20

OVERVIEWPoaching and the illegal wildlife trade are the most serious and immediate threats to Asia’s many charismatic and iconic species, such as tiger, rhino and elephants. The steady draining of biological resources from Asian countries has continued largely unabated, and thus negated the increasingly high conservation investments made by those states. This should be of no surprise given the increasingly sophisticated financing mechanisms, breadth and resources deployed by international poaching networks themselves. Recent studies have shown that illegal wildlife trade is one of the top-five most lucrative illicit economies globally; recently its value was estimated to fall within the range of US$50-150 billion per year. A huge proportion of this activity occurs in Asia, and there is broad recognition that this threat will not recede without a clear region-wide up-scale of response. Success in this area is attainable and has been demonstrated by the host country for the Symposium, with Nepal having achieved Zero Poaching in 2011 for rhinos and for the 12 months ending February 2014 for tigers, elephants and rhinos.

It was envisioned that this Zero Poaching Symposium will not be limited to a launching point of a collection of best practice knowledge, but will also represent the moment from which momentum builds to bring IGO and NGO support tools and programs in better alignment with the needs and requests of those countries seeking to implement them.

Adopting best anti-poaching practice also serves important purposes from a governmental perspective: it acts as a type of cost-effective insurance, which protects the millions (or billions) that will be invested by Asian countries in conservation and the environment during this decade. It also sends a strong message at the international level, by showing that a rapidly modernized Asia will take the steps necessary to carry its natural capital and iconic species through that development process and well in to the 21st century, while at the same time decrease the destabilizing ecological and criminal impacts of poaching. Finally, it demonstrates action in areas increasingly identified as important to global partners and international processes.

Over the years several governmental agencies, NGOs and other partners involved in wildlife conservation globally have been involved in development and implementation of varied tools for strengthening law enforcement and protected area management systems. It has been recognized that there are 6 pillars of effort necessary to achieve Zero Poaching. All are equally important and all should be addressed simultaneously if success is to be achieved. These pillars are; conducting assessments of law enforcement and management effectiveness, adopting and implementing new technologies for anti-poaching, building adequate capacity in both staff and institutions, directly involving local communities in conservation, strengthening prosecution and improving national and regional cooperation.

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BRIDGING THE GAP TO ACHIEVE ZERO POACHING

ASSESSMENT TECHNOLOGY CAPACITY COMMUNITY PROSECUTION COOPERATION

PRESENT FUTURE

Conduct regular effectiveness assessments

Use the best available tools &

technologies

Increase field staff’s ability to protect wildlife

Engage with local

communities

Improve approaches for

prosecution

Share information regionally & nationally

ZERO POACHING TOOLKIT

MEEMANAGEMENT

EFFECTIVENESS EVALUATIONS

UNODC TOOLKIT

CA|TSCONSERVATION

ASSURED MANAGEMENT STANDARDS

SMARTLAW

ENFORCEMENT MONITORING (LEM) TOOL

WILDLIFEFORENSICS

UAV/AERIAL SURVEILLANCE

RANGER STANDARDS

IMPROVING RANGERWELFARE

MORE & BETTER TRAINED

RANGERS

MITIGATE HUMAN TIGER

CONFLICT

COMMUNITY POLICING &

ENGAGEMENT

BENEFIT SHARING

SITE-BASED INVESTIGATIONS

JUDICIARY AWARENESS

RAISING

COURT CASE REPRESENTATION

& TRACKING

SHARED INFORMATION GATHERING

WILDLIFE CRIME INFORMATION

SHARING

INTER-AGENCY COOPERATION & COORDINATION

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THE SYMPOSIUMThe Symposium was structured around these six pillars with a session on each (Appendix 1). Experts were invited to make presentations following which, question and answer and discussion periods were included to allow country delegates and others to fully explore each pillar and understand the current efforts being made globally in each. To assess the capacity and readiness of achieving the Zero Poaching target a feedback questionnaire was designed. A set of 38 questions related to the 6 pillars of Zero Poaching were enlisted and grouped under these 6 pillars. This aided in capturing the effectiveness of enabling measures and mechanisms required operationally on the ground for achieving the Zero Poaching targets across the participating countries.

Thirteen Asian countries participated in the Symposium:

Partner NGOS included the WWF, GTF, NTNC and SAWEN. Participating organizations included (in alphabetical order): ASEAN-WEN, ADB, CITES, EIA, Equilibrium Research, Freeland, International Ranger Federation, Interpol, IUCN, PAMS Foundation, Panthera, Ranger Federation of Asia, SMART Partnership, Southern African Wildlife College, TRAFFIC, UNODC, WCS, Wildlife Alliance, Wildlife Institute of India, Wildlife Protection Society of India, WildTeam and ZSL (Appendix 2).

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BANGLADESH CHINACAMBODIABHUTAN INDIA

MALAYSIALAO PDRINDONESIA MYANMAR

THAILANDRUSSIA

NEPAL

VIETNAM

Opening CeremonyThe Symposium was opened by the Honourable Mahesh Acharya, Minister for Forests and Soil Conservation, Nepal at the inauguration. The minister called for region-wide action, noting the choice of Zero Poaching or zero wildlife. Other speakers included Mr. Tika Ram Adhikari, Director General, Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Mr. Sharad Chandra Paudel, Secretary of the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, Nepal and Mr. Anil Manandhar, Country Representative, WWF Nepal. Nepal also debuted a powerful short film on how the country achieved Zero Poaching.

Day 1The day opened with a welcome and introduction session by Mr. Tika Ram Adhikari, Director General of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, with remarks from Pia Jonsson, CITES, Benito Perez, Interpol and Dr Rajesh Gopal, Global Tiger Forum. A brief overview of the Symposium was given and the expected outcomes for the Symposium.

The morning session was on the Asia Poaching Crisis and the Need for Transformational Action.

Dr. Simon Stuart, chairman of the IUCN Species Survival Commission presented Poaching: how serious is it to species recovery in Asia? He noted, “When people think about poaching they often first think of the African rhino and elephant. However biodiversity and species in Asia are far more at risk from extinction unless we increase measures against poaching and the illegal wildlife trade.”

Mr. James Compton, Asia regional director of TRAFFIC showed that poaching at the field level (the focus of this meeting) was one part of the wildlife crime chain and that work on trade and demand reduction are also critical parts of the picture. He noted that criminal networks are complex, underscoring the importance of information management together with professionalized cooperation.

Mr. Tika Ram Adhikari, Director General, Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Nepal spoke on how “Zero Poaching is Achievable.” The success of Nepal in achieving Zero Poaching was due to the government of Nepal setting up a strong institutional mechanism to combat poaching and illegal trade from the community level right up to the Prime Minister.

Dr. Sergey Lyapustin, Vladivostok branch of Russian Customs Academy said that Russia has made many efforts to strengthen legislation to conserve rare and endangered species, including a new strategy in 2014 that identifies poaching and trade as the main threat to wildlife. The solution is seen as strengthening anti-poaching and anti-trafficking measures.

Col. Babu K. Karki and Lt. Col. Sanjaya Deuja, Nepal Army spoke on the role of the Nepal Army, which has played an active role in conservation since 1961. Ninety-two soldiers have lost their lives on anti-poaching operations in Nepal. Army patrols have covered 292,000 km in 2014, which has been increasing since 2011.

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Mr. S.P. Yadav of the GTF presented Initiatives in India to control tiger poaching and conservation and noted that all tiger deaths are considered as poaching unless proven otherwise. Challenges included investigations, low conviction rates and the need to develop various gaols and skills like documentation evidence, forensics, and case preparation.

The afternoon session was on Assessments of Site-based Enforcement.

Ms. Sue Stolton of Equilibrium Research spoke on the tools available for evaluation of protected areas management effectiveness and noted how most protected areas in Asia are still lacking much of the management required to be effective.

Mr. Jorge Rios of the UNODC, presented the wildlife and forest crime analytical toolkit and discussed the challenges of beating wildlife criminals, noting the links between wildlife crime and human trafficking and drugs crime.

Mr. Khalid Pasha of WWF Tigers Alive Initiative, described the CA|TS (Conservation Assured Tiger Standards) system and how it can help protected areas achieve high standards of management excellence.

Dr. Dipankar Ghose of WWF India, spoke about law enforcement assessments and strategies undertaken in India. He presented a new, comprehensive assessment for protected area staff and showed initial findings in an infographic format which showed the results of the assessments clearly.

Dr. Kala Mulqueeny, Asian Development Bank described an assessment tool used to analyse the legal system relative to efforts to combat poaching using a case study from Viet Nam.

The afternoon session concluded with a group discussion and questions session.

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Day 2The morning session Technologies for Site-based Enforcement brought together experts from Asia and Africa to share best practices and latest advances.

Dr. Antony Lynam (WCS) and Mr. Rohit Singh (WWF) on behalf of the SMART partnership explained the key roles of SMART in improving patrolling and reporting in protected areas. SMART is currently used in 160 sites across 3 continents and expanding. Examples cited included locations in Russia, Thailand and Cambodia.

Col. Sudip Panta of the Nepal Army presented an adaption of SMART that sends real-time information from patrols in Banke National Park to a national database in Kathmandu. Patrol teams use solar powered smart phones to report using standard forms. The system has a low operating cost and the average time to train 50 soldiers was 30 minutes. 250 SMART phones are now being implemented in 5 conservation areas.

Mr. Craig Fullstone of Pathera demonstrated several new technologies for anti-poaching work in the field. For example, thermal imagers which work well in either the day or night can pick up both animals and people. These are now much cheaper than before and can massively increase effectiveness of patrol teams. Poacher cameras that can tell the difference between a human and an animal.

Dr. S P Goyal of the Wildlife Institute of India highlighted that courts cannot give convictions if species cannot be identified; this is where wildlife forensics is key. Officers need an understanding of crime scene investigation and what should be sent to the lab for assessment. Training is essential and agencies need to be sensitized to this crucial need. WII’s Wildlife Forensic Kit was also shown.

Mr. S. P. Yadav of the GTF described TigerNet, a publically accessible online reporting tool of tiger seizure or mortality in India. Initiated in 2010, information is gathered from multiple verified sources and mapped to identify hotspots for anti-trafficking and anti-poaching work. Hosted and contributed to by the Govt. of India, it provides all information that an investigative officer would require. It has been accessed from over 40 different countries with almost 1 million visitors to date.

The afternoon session Institutional Capacity Building focused on raising the profile and ensuring professionalization of rangers.

Mr. Michael Appleton presented on the development of international competency standards for protected area staff for the IUCN. Once implemented, this system raises protected area staff to a global standard. Currently organizational management is often absent from management training. The competence approach is sorely needed to secure professional- level recognition for protected area work.

Mr. Mark Bowman and Col. Vijay Dhawan of FREELAND Foundation described their ASEAN-approved training program for enforcement staff. A common training manual has been developed and training is on topics such as monitoring, community outreach, marine, etc. A film from Al Jazeera showed the King of Tigers unit of Thailand, an elite group selected by the government and trained in military style by FREELAND.

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Ms. Krissie Clark, PAMS Foundation and Mr. Wayne Lotter, PAMS Foundation and the International Ranger Federation, described ranger training standards currently being developed with input from 50+ people based in Asia. The standards are comprehensive, with specific as well as elective modules. It is an evolving document that will update through an established Ranger Training Standards Stewardship Council.

Mr. Wayne Lotter, Thin Green Line Foundation, International Ranger Federation, PAMS Foundation clarified the roles of various ranger organizations and their mandates. For example, The Thin Green Line Foundation was established to assist families of rangers killed or injured in the line of duty and is directly involved in ranger welfare activities. It has since moved into new areas such as patrol safety.

Mr. Ruben de Kok of the South Africa Wildlife College presented their training for law enforcement field rangers. Training emphasis has shifted from dangerous game to dangerous poachers in recent years. Paramilitary discipline is needed to make correct decisions in field when faced with armed poachers. Examples of new approaches were shown inc. light aircraft and dogs trained to track poachers.

Strengthening Prosecution explored the current gaps in the legislation and prosecution processes in wildlife law enforcement which allows criminals to walk free and how these can be closed.

Mr. Crispian Barlow of WWF explained the need for better crime scene investigation practices. In many places if evidence is collected at all, it is collected poorly. To ensure the correct collection of evidence rangers require trainings on crime scene investigation and evidence collection. He went on to explain the 10 steps in a basic wildlife crime scene process that can help rangers follow the correct procedures.

Ms. Debbie Banks of EIA and Mr. Nitin Desai of WPSI presented on the largest wildlife crime database in India, which includes all wildlife and poaching cases. Verified information and court case details inform on national wildlife crime trends. They highlighted the lack of adequate follow-up on wildlife crime cases and presented goCASE as a solution, a low-cost option currently used by police and UNODC.

Mr. John Webb of the US Department of Justice emeritus highlighted the need for cooperation and consensus among investigators, prosecutors, administrators and judges. Countries should view wildlife crime as a Transnational Organized Crime and treat poaching as theft of government property – especially as judges are much more familiar with dealing with this and it will return higher, steeper conviction rates.

Mr. Dwi Adhiasto of WCS presented a case study on successfully tackling tiger trade in Sumatra. Surveys identified trade routes, then community-led teams were established as well as informant networks. Cell phone interception, undercover investigations, and forensic techniques were used which bought about prosecutions but also demonstrated the importance of case-tracking tools.

All sessions concluded with a group discussion and questions session.

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Day 3The third day of the Symposium focused on the importance of working together, be that by engaging local communities or cooperation at governmental regional level. The message was that together we are stronger, together we can achieve Zero Poaching. The “Tiger Summit” in 2010 was strongly acknowledged as a critical year as it laid the foundations for high-level political support that eventually led to Zero Poaching.

The morning session was on the Collaboration, Communities and Other Partners where the essential role of local communities in achieving Zero Poaching was discussed. Intelligence is as important as ranger training and communities provide that information. With their help local and regional wildlife crime networks can be disrupted.

Mr. Basu Dhungana, Community Leader of Chitwan NP buffer zone gave an example of how communities engage with conservation in Nepal. Through the establishment of a Buffer Zone Management Committee, local people patrol, remove poacher snares and participate in wildlife rescue activities. They have become a key part of achieving Zero Poaching and engage in a variety of conservation activities.

Mr. Iqbal Hussain of Wild Team presented on Village Tiger Response teams in Bangladesh. Community teams trained on human tiger conflict safeguard both communities and tigers resulting in a huge decrease in human-tiger incidents in recent years. Wildteam works closely with Forest Dept. and USAID on this project.

Mr. Kamal Jung Kunwar of Chitwan National Park presented on collaboration to address rhino poaching. To combat the poaching crisis that emerged in 2000 an informant network was set up, entry exit routes to the park were fused with buffer zone community forest networks which included social workers, teachers, etc. Cash rewards were useful for individual informants and the information gathered led to quick arrests.

Dr. Willy Marthy of WCS and Mr. de Santo of WCS. Mitigating human-wildlife conflict is essential for integrating local communities into conservation approaches. In Sumatra, Wildlife Response Units were established through multiple meetings with village elders where initially the main focus was on how to avoid human-tiger conflict and what to do if it happened.

In the afternoon the session on National and Regional Cooperation underscored the importance of cooperation across borders since wildlife crime is essentially a hidden, transnational trade. This requires enforcement to think and act in the same trans-boundary way.

Mr. Sabin Pradhan, CIB, Nepal police. To address increasing organized crime the Central Investigation Bureau has a pillar dedicated to wildlife crime control. Wildlife Crime Control Bureaus have been strategically placed in areas in 18 districts known for high wildlife crime rates. They have a direct strategy of ASK (‘Arrest’, ‘Seize and ‘Keep’) and use the intelligence tool i2 to investigate networks between wildlife criminals.

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Mr. Ma Tian from the Department of Wild Animal Conservation and Management of China outlined the efforts the Chinese Government has been taking to fight wildlife crime. Work has been done to perfect the legal framework to prevent and combat poaching and now a consumer can face the same penalty as a poacher in the new judicial interpretation that was agreed in 2014.

Mr. Pham Quang Tung presented on the development and work of ASEAN-WEN and the crucial need to share real-time intelligence amongst enforcement agencies. Examples were given of recent ivory seizures in South East Asia.

Dr. Kala Mulqueeny explained the work of the Asian Judges Network on Environment and the Illegal Wildlife Trade, which targets Chief Justices to champion environmental rights and justice. Sub-regional roundtables on environment have been established to deal with environmental law and cases. They ensure judges know the key environmental issues and find the key difficulties that the judges are having in prosecution.

Mr. Benito Perez, Interpol stated clearly that both national and international cooperation is essential and effective cooperation can help preserve and protect species. He emphasized that INTERPOL should be considered as a tool to help you improve international cooperation.

Both sessions concluded with a group discussion and questions session.

Day 4The meeting facilitators gave an overview of the Symposium and all of the sessions. They also explained that the technical support team had done a preliminary analysis of the questionnaires and this was presented to the delegates. Based on the expert material and insights delivered at this Symposium, draft recommendations were then tabled for discussion and some modifications were proposed. The delegates then agreed with the following five priority recommendations:

1. LAUNCH IMMEDIATE ACTION

Given the great scale and immediacy of the threat to their flagship species, the participants of this Zero Poaching Symposium agreed that swift and decisive action is required for effective anti-poaching initiatives and cooperation among all relevant ministries, departments and agencies within their borders (including but not limited to Environment, Forestry, Natural Resources, Customs, Justice, as well as the police and armed forces), while at the same time strengthening international cooperation in the face of this serious criminal activity.

2. ADOPT THE SIX ANTI-POACHING PILLARS OF THE ZERO POACHING TOOLKIT

The participants urged for an in-country anti-poaching response assessment (or protection audit) which would be performed to determine areas in which improvements could be made, or serious gaps could be closed. In performing this analysis it is recommended that countries may refer to the anti-poaching systems, methodologies, standards and emerging technologies compiled in the Asia Zero Poaching Tool Kit, which can serve as a central point of reference. We particularly encourage the adoption of those tools that can simultaneously raise standards across several sectors, or multiple points within a given conservation-protection system, such as Conservation Assured, the 9

ICCWC’s Wildlife and Forest Crime Analytic Toolkit, the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) standards and software, M-STrIPES and other Law Enforcement Monitoring (LEM) tools .

3. INCREASE AND IMPROVE COLLABORATION BETWEEN A BROAD SET OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES

That this process is used to further institutionalize the understanding that a successful anti-poaching response is critically dependant on a diverse number of government actors and key elements such as site-based enforcement, assessment of protected area management and function, institutional capacity building, timely adoption of high-value technological innovation, strong collaboration and information sharing on trafficking syndicates and organized crime, and partnerships ranging from the community to the international level. Intergovernmental organizations such as SAWEN, ASEAN-WEN, the Global Tiger Forum, CITES, and other UN bodies, as well as local communities, and NGOs should be expected to actively collaborate to address this collective responsibility.

4. ENSURE HIGH STANDARDS IN ALL NATIONAL ANTI-POACHING AGENCIES

Urgent examples include improved employment standards and high-quality training institutes for protected area managers, rangers and other front-line staff. Also there must be an effort to ensure that police and concerned law enforcement agencies, administrative officials, prosecutors and the judiciary are provided with the adequate training, and institutional and legislative support that is necessary to ensure rule of law and effectively deter poachers. Asian countries represented in this symposium are encouraged to also analyse and evaluate all wildlife crime charges and subsequent case files in order to identify and close loopholes, and make necessary interventions in their criminal justice systems.

5. IMMEDIATE NEXT STEPS

That a process be initiated for identifying a Contact Point individual from each of the Asian states represented at the Symposium. This process would begin shortly after the Symposium, in consultation with government representatives who were present, and culminate with their confirmation at an appropriate intergovernmental event.

These Contact Points would later:

• Help to facilitate communication regarding Asia Zero Poaching Toolkit item implementation, between appropriate government departments and other organizations with expertise in these tools.

• Where feasible incorporate their expertise into appropriate existing conservation processes within other intergovernmental forums, such as specialist groups formed pursuant to the functions of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES), the Global Tiger Forum (GTF), Global Tiger Recovery Program (GTRP) or regional Wildlife Enforcement Networks (WENs).

• Look for opportunities to increase government and partner support for anti-poaching initiatives in Asia, and otherwise advance these Recommendations in existing high-level political forums such as the upcoming Kasane Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade.

• Collaborate with other partner organizations committed to supporting the achievement of Zero Poaching in Asia.

The participants then expressed their appreciation to the government of Nepal for hosting this important and timely landmark event.

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Closing CeremonyAt the closing ceremony, Nepal’s legendary Chitwan National Park (CNP) became the first global site to become Conservation Assured Tiger Standard (CA|TS) accredited. Despite the threats that CNP faces, the protected area has seen an increasingly effective management and protection regime. This further demonstrates the commitment of Nepal towards Zero Poaching.

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COUNTRY FEEDBACK ANALYSIS To assess the capacity and readiness of Asian states to achieve the ‘Zero Poaching’ target, a feedback questionnaire was designed. A set of 38 questions related to the 6 pillars of Zero Poaching were composed and grouped under these 6 themes. These questions were answered from a national perspective to shed light on the effectiveness of enabling mechanisms in pursuing the Zero Poaching target across Asia.

It is important to note, that where countries show low conformity to a particular pillar or set of pillars, this does not necessarily reflect their commitment towards mitigation of wildlife crime. Instead a low response or absence of a particular element may be due to the lack of technical and financial support or some legal restrictions that may be/are hindering the implementation. Furthermore, although most of the survey participants have a strong understanding of their countries’ institutions and programs, there is the possibility that some may be unaware of certain programs, and have thus failed to report them (or incorrectly characterized their scope or features) during this exercise. Hence any apparent gaps and challenges that emerge from this analysis for each of the countries will need to be viewed in this context and to be further discussed at national and regional levels to explore enabling mechanisms and opportunities for closing these gaps.

Summary Results Part 1The overall analysis shows that among the 13 countries India, Nepal and Russia have more than 70% of the measures and mechanisms on the ground; this should do much to enable them to make strides towards the Zero Poaching target in coming years. In fact, Nepal, with its present capacity, has already achieved Zero Poaching twice in the past (2011 & 2013-2014) in 2 of its protected areas. Nepal’s score of 70 reflects the fact that it needs to duplicate the effort in each of its remaining protected areas. All countries indicate the need to review their capacity under each of the Zero Poaching pillars, to reach a desired and effective level of enforcement to curtail poaching.

The country experts were also asked if they need either financial or technical support to implement tools. Twelve of thirteen said support is needed; India indicated they have all necessary resources.

0

10

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70

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100

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Assessment ResultsSite-based enforcement assessment is an integral part of protected area planning. Carrying out threat analysis of habitats and enhancing the knowledge of existing legal frameworks and protocols and their effective implementation is vital for combating wildlife crime and stopping illegal wildlife trade. These approaches and tools provide a reference point to evaluate the existing management effectiveness of tiger conservation and that of co-existing species across its range. They provide a baseline for management planning and improving execution on the ground.

The implementation of site-based enforcement assessment should become a routine task across the 13 countries. Bangladesh, India and Russia has built up a good framework for assessing its enforcement capacity across the country. Cambodia and Malaysia urgently need to focus on introducing mechanisms required for stepping up their site-based enforcement assessment capacity.

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BD IN RU CN NP TH VN BT ID LA MM KH MY TOTALMEE Tool: METT, METER, RPAM 8Protection Audit 4CA|TS 4UNODC Toolkit 4ADB Assessment 1TOTAL 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 0 0

Which countries are using the necessary tools/approaches for Assessment?

How close is each country to using all, or 100% of the necessary tools/approaches?

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Bangladesh (BD), Bhutan (BT), Cambodia (KH), China (CN), India (IN), Indonesia (ID), Lao PDR (LA), Malaysia (MY), Myanmar (MM), Nepal (NP), Russia (RU), Thailand (TH), Vietnam (VN)

Per

cent

age

%

Country

Technology ResultsThe wildlife conservation sector is now embracing new technologies and tools for wildlife crime mitigation and monitoring. Over the years several governmental agencies, NGOs and other partners involved in wildlife conservation globally have been involved in development and implementation of varied tools for strengthening law enforcement and protected area management systems. The integration and packaging of these as a ‘Conservation Toolkit’ and its wider usage would help to empower frontline staff / rangers and enforcement agencies in their Zero Poaching activities.

The analysis shows varying levels of technology adoption across the countries. Some countries (i.e. India, Nepal, Russia and Thailand) with good financial and technical resources, are implementing an array of technologies and tools for combating wildlife crime, whereas others lag either due to limited technical capacity or financial resources.

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IN RU NP TH BD LA VN KH CN ID MY MM BT TOTALLEM: SMART, MIST, MStriPEs 13Poacher surveillance tools 9Mobile phone tracking tools 6Anti-poaching standards 5Wildlife sniffer/detector dogs 5UAVs/drones 3Deep search metal detectors 2TOTAL 7 7 5 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 1


Which countries are using the necessary tools/approaches for Technology?

14


Per

cent

age

%

Country

Capacity ResultsAdequate and properly trained staff is the foundation for building a dedicated and effective force on the ground. An effective and enthused team will be able to deliver desired results. The feedback obtained from experts from the 13 countries shows strong institutional capacity building and coordination efforts but more needs to be done in each country to achieve Zero Poaching.

Only India reported they use all the tools and approaches under the Capacity pillar. Malaysia, Nepal, Russia and Thailand are a close second, each lacking one element.

0

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100

IN MY NP RU TH BD ID MM VN BT KH CN LA TOTALPaid sick leave for frontline staff 12Training/capacity institutions 10Competency standards 9Performance promotion system 9Certified training curriculum 8Insurance for frontline staff 8Ranger Associations 4TOTAL 7 6 6 6 6 5 5 5 4 3 3 2 2


Which countries are using the necessary tools/approaches for Capacity?


15

Per

cent

age

%

Country

Prosecution ResultsStrong and dynamic legislation backed by effective investigation on the ground and rigorous prosecution are essential steps towards achieving Zero Poaching. Investigation supported by forensics, thorough and careful documentation and adoption of robust case tracking systems would help to strengthen prosecution.

India, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Russia and Thailand have suggested strong engagement with their judiciaries. These countries have also indicated they have good wildlife forensic facilities, guidelines and procedures in place. Countries facing challenges in this pillar should take opportunities to engage with countries that have better technical capacity to maximize their resources.

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IN ID MY CN RU TH NP VN LA BD BH KH MM TOTALLegislation Review 12Staff empowered 9Wildlife forensic equipped labs 7Forensic collection guidelines 7Forensic orientation for staff 7Judiciary sensitization program 7Case tracking mechanisms 2TOTAL 7 7 6 5 5 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 2



Which countries are using the necessary tools/approaches for Prosecution?

16

Per

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Country

0

10

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100

Community ResultsWildlife conservation in today’s context is not possible without the support and collaboration with communities. This paradigm shift is seen across the countries too. Community vigilance in wildlife crime is extremely important to help understand the causative factors and strategies for mitigation. Community policing has emerged in recent years as an effective and productive strategy for enforcing law at the local level.

Any conflict that arises in these wildlife landscapes as a result of human and wildlife interface invariably demands a good community response as well as linkages within these landscapes. Countries like India, Nepal Bhutan, China, Thailand and Russia have listed several examples / models of community partnership and engagement.

BT IN MY NP RU CN BD ID TH LA MY VN KH TOTALCommunities provide info 13Communities benefit from PAs 11Community participation in HTC 10Wildlife crime prevention agency 10Human-wildlife conflict policy 10Conflict compensation schemes 8Informant networks 8Budget for informant incentives 8Insurance policy for HWC 2TOTAL 9 9 8 8 8 7 6 6 6 5 3 3 2

Which countries are using the necessary tools/approaches for Community?


17


Per

cent

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Country

0

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80

90

100

Cooperation ResultsResponse here demonstrates keenness of each of the country participants to reach out and combine efforts with other enforcement agencies at the national as well as regional and global levels in combating wildlife crime.

Some countries have put in more mechanisms for controlling wildlife crime at the trans-border level when compared to their counterparts. Again, such countries can share their experience and knowledge with the others.

IN NP RU TH BD BH KH CN ID LA MY MM VN TOTALMulti agency coordination 13Regional agency coordination 12Intelligence (eg. i2) 5TOTAL 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2


Which countries are using the necessary tools/approaches for Cooperation?

18


Per

cent

age

%

Country

Summary Results Part 2Below is an overview of various tools and approaches that are currently in use, and desired to be in use, across the 13 countries. Implementing countries have a value of 1 (red) and when these tools are absent, the country has been given a value of 0 (white). Several countries indicated they are interested in adopting or further implementing certain tools (+ symbol).

IN RU NP TH MY ID BD CH BT VN LA MM KH TOTAL

MEE Tools: METT, METER, RPAM + + + 9

Protection Audit + + + + 4

CA|TS + + + + + + + + 4

UNODC Toolkit + + + 4

ADB Assessment + + 1

LEM Tools: SMART, MIST, MStriPEs 13

Poacher surveillance tools + + + 9

Mobile phone tracking tools + 6

Anti-poaching standards + + + + + + + 5

Wildlife sniffer/detector dogs + + + 5

UAVs/drones + + + + 3

Deep search metal detectors + + + 2

Paid sick leave for frontline staff + 12

Training/capacity institutions + + 10

Competency standards + + 9

Performance promotion system + + + + 9

Certified training curriculum + + + 8

Insurance for frontline staff + + + 8

Ranger Associations + + + + + + + 4

Legislation Review + 12

Staff empowered + + + + 9

Wildlife forensic equipped labs + + + + + + 7

Forensic collection guidelines + + + + + + 7

Forensic orientation for staff + + + + + + 7

Judiciary sensitization program + 7

Case tracking mechanisms 2

Communities provide info + 13

Communities benefit from PAs + + 11

Community participation in HTC + + 10

Wildlife crime prevention agency 10

Human-wildlife conflict policy + + + + 8

Conflict compensation schemes + + + + + 8

Informant networks + + + + + 8

Budget for informant incentives + + + + + 8

Insurance policy for HWC + + 2

Multi agency coordination 13

Regional agency coordination + 12

Intelligence (eg. i2) + + + + 6

TOTAL 36 32 27 25 24 23 22 20 18 18 17 17 11

ASSESSMENT

TECHNOLOGY

CAPACITY

COMMUNITY

PROSECUTION

COOPERATION

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APPENDIX I: AGENDAArrival Day 2 February 2015: All delegates to arrive in Kathmandu

17.00 – 18.00 Welcome RemarksMr. Tika Ram Adhikari, Director General Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation• Remarks by Mr. Anil Manandhar, Country Representative, WWF Nepal.• Remarks by Dr. Rajesh Gopal, Secretary General of the Global Tiger Forum• Opening of the symposium and inaugural speech by the Honourable Mohesh Acharya, Minister for Forests and

Soil Conservation, Nepal • Final remarks by Mr. Sharad Chandra Paudel, Secretary of the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, Nepal

18.00 – 18.30 Questions and answers for media18.30 – 20.00 Dinner for all delegates and guests

Day One3 February 2015

07.30 – 9.00 Registration for all participants 09.00 – 10.30 Welcome and Introduction

Mr. Tika Ram Adhikari, Director General of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation• Remarks by Pia Jonsson, representative of CITES• Remarks by representative of InterpolProcesses and expected outcomes of the symposium: What are the major components of a strategy to achieve Zero Poaching? Dr. David Lawson, WWF Tigers Alive Initiative

10.30 – 11.00 Break11.00 – 13.00 Session 1: The Asia Poaching Crisis and the Need for Transformational Action

Chair: Nepal• Presentation 1: Poaching: how serious is it to species recovery in Asia?

Dr. Simon Stuart, IUCN Species Survival Commission• Presentation 2: Poaching: the base of the wildlife crime chain

Mr. James Compton, TRAFFIC• Presentation 3: Zero Poaching is achievable

Mr. Tulasi Ram Sharma, Planning Officer, Department of Wildlife National Parks, Nepal• Presentation 4: Improving anti-poaching is possible: the Russian experience

Dr. Sergey Lyapustin, Vladivostok branch of Russian Customs Academy• Presentation 5: Curbing poaching and the role of the Nepal Army: the Nepal experience

Mr. Babu K. Karki/Mr. Sanjya Deuja, Nepal Army• Presentation 6: Tackling the tiger poaching crisis: the India experience

Dr. S.P.Yadav, Global Tiger Forum13.00 – 14.00 Lunch 14.00 – 15.30 Session 2: Assessments of Site-based Enforcement

Joint Chairs: China and Malaysia• Presentation 1: Protected area effectiveness and evaluation. Using MEE to evaluate management effectiveness.

Ms. Sue Stolton, Equilibrium Research• Presentation 2: Beating wildlife criminals. Using the wildlife and forest crime analytic toolkit. The International

Consortium on combatting wildlife crimeMr. Jorge Rios, UN Office on Drugs and Crime

• Presentation 3: Achieving high standards for management: the CA|TS method. Mr. Khalid Pasha, WWF Tigers Alive Initiative

• Presentation 4: Law enforcement assessments and strategies for strengthening protection. Dr. Dipankar Ghose, Species and Landscape Program Director, WWF India

• Presentation 5: ADB’s Law and law enforcement assessments: Viet Nam Case Study. Dr. Kala Mulqueeny, Principal Counsel, Asian Development Bank

15.30 – 15.45 Break15.45 – 17.00 Discussion and questions 1 hour 15 minutes

After each session a panel will be formed of the expert presenters for country delegates to further question approaches and methods. This will help to build a picture of what progress has been made in these locations within each TRC and what would be needed to implement such methods and approaches in the future.

Day Two 4 February 2015

08.30 – 10.00 Session 3: Technologies for Site-based EnforcementJoint Chairs: Bhutan and Indonesia• Presentation 1: The SMART approach for reducing poaching; examples of adaptive patrol management from Asia

and AfricaDr. Antony Lynam, WCS Mr. Rohit Singh, WWF on behalf of the SMART partnership

• Presentation 2: Adaption of SMART by the Nepal armyMr. Sudip Panta, Nepal army

• Presentation 3: Practical tools to help detect and monitor poaching Mr. Craig Fullstone, Panthera

• Presentation 4: Role and development of wildlife forensicsDr. S.P. Goyal, Emeritus scientist, WII

• Presentation 5: Recording poaching incidents - TigerNet Mr. S.P.Yadav, Global Tiger Forum

20

10.00 – 10.15 Break10.15 – 11.30 Discussion and questions 1 hour 15 minutes11.30 – 13.00 Session 4: Institutional Capacity Building

Joint Chairs: Russia and Myanmar• Presentation 1: Competency standards for rangers and other staff

Mr. Michael Appleton • Presentation 2: Ranger trainings in south-east Asia

Mr. Mark Bowman and Col. Vijay Dhawan, FREELAND Foundation • Presentation 3: Ranger training standards

Ms. Krissie Clark, PAMS FoundationMr. Wayne Lotter, Thin Green Line Foundation & Vice President of International Ranger Federation

• Presentation 4: Ranger welfare improvementMr. Wayne Lotter, Thin Green Line Foundation & Vice-President of International Ranger Federation

• Presentation 5: Role of wildlife training institutionsMr. Ruben de Kok, South Africa Wildlife College

13.00 – 14.00 Lunch14.00 – 15.15 Discussion and questions 1 hour 15 minutes15.15 – 15.30 Break15.30 – 17.00 Session 5: Strengthening Prosecution

Joint Chairs: Thailand and Cambodia • Presentation 1: Improving site-based investigations to support prosecution

Mr. Crispian Barlow, Greater Mekong Program, WWF• Presentation 2: Tracking cases and their progress

Debbie Banks, EIA and Nitin Desai, WPSI • Presentation 3: Judiciary Awareness raising

Mr. John Webb, Department of Justice Emeritus, USA • Presentation 4: Combatting illegal wildlife trade in Indonesia: the Wildlife Crimes Unit

Mr. Dwi Adhiasto, WCS Wildlife Trade Program Manager, Indonesia

Day Three5 February 2015

08.30 – 09.30 Discussion and questions 1 hour 09.30 – 11.00 Session 6: Collaboration, Communities and Other Partners

Joint Chairs: Vietnam and India• Presentation 1: Community based anti-poaching

Mr. Basu Dhungana, Community Leader Chitwan NP buffer zone, Nepal • Presentation 2: Mitigating human tiger conflict and wildlife crime around the park through encouraging neighbours

Mr. Iqbal Hussain, Wild Team, Bangladesh • Presentation 3: Setting up effective informant networks around parks

Mr. Kamal Jung Kunwar/Mr Rupak Maharjan, Chitwan National Park • Presentation 4: Engaging communities in mitigating human-wildlife conflict: the Wildlife Response Unit in

Indonesia Dr. Willy Marthy, WCS Sumatra Program Manager, Indonesia

11.00 – 11.15 Break11.15 – 12.15 Discussion and questions 1 hour12.15 – 13.15 Lunch13.15 – 14.45 Session 7: National & Regional Cooperation

Joint Chairs: Bangladesh and Lao P.D.R.• Presentation 1: Intelligence gathering through informant networks and intelligence sharing between enforcement

agencies and breaking down wildlife criminal networksMr. Sabin Pradhan, CIB, Nepal police

• Presentations 2: The measures taken by China to stop poaching Mr Ma Tian, Department of Nature Conservation and Nature Reserve Management, China

• Presentation 3: Sharing wildlife crime information within and between countries. Mr Pham Quang Tung ASEAN-WEN and Dr. Maheswor Dhakar, SAWEN

• Presentation 4: The Asian Judges Network on Environment and the Illegal Wildlife TradeDr. Kala Mulqueeny, Principal Counsel, Asian Development Bank

• Presentation 5: The necessity of improved regional cooperationMr. Benito Perez, Interpol

14.45 – 15.00 Break15.00 – 16.00 Discussion and questions 1 hour19:00 Closing dinner

Day Four6 February 2015

08.30 – 12.00 Session 8: Making Zero Poaching HappenChair: Nepal

08.30 – 10.00 Feedback from data sheets and group discussionsIntroduction to a Zero Poaching ToolkitIdentification of regional bodies that could take ZP forwardAgreement on process to nominate ZP contact points

10.00 – 10.15 Break10.15 – 11.15 Summary and recommendations from the meeting11.15 – 11.30 CA|TS approval for Chitwan National Park11.30 – 12.00 Close of the meeting

21

Hosted by the Government of Nepal


February 2 - 6, 2015Kathmandu, Nepal

NTNC

For inquires please contact David Lawson: [email protected]

symposium: towards zero poaching in asia post-symposium …

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