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International Wildlife Enforcement
Network Forming
INECE and the North American Wildlife Enforcement
Group (NAWEG) began preparations for the launch of a
new international wildlife enforcement network. Consultations,
lead by Yvan Lafleur of the Canadian Wildlife Service,
are underway with Interpol Wildlife Sub-Group, NGOs
and a number of MEA Secretariats, including CITES and
Lusaka. While still in the development stage, project
proposals for the new network include the creation of
a Web-based data bank and an international wildlife
training initiative.
The
NAWEG, established in 1995, is a regional network of
North American wildlife enforcement officials who work
together to improve enforcement of wildlife protection
laws. Its current membership includes senior wildlife
enforcement officials from the federal wildlife agencies
in Mexico, the United States and Canada. Since its inception,
the NAWEG has focused its efforts on improving the capacity
to track and enforce the Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in North America,
and other relevant national wildlife legislation. The
NAWEG works in close collaboration with the Commission
for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), the Trilateral
Committee for Wildlife Ecosystem Conservation and Management
(Trilateral) and the Interpol Subgroup on Wildlife Enforcement.
The
creation of the NAWEG as a regional network has introduced
a forum for exploring common initiatives and policy
positions, and coordinating regional and global activities.
Participation in the Trilateral has provided a unique
opportunity for exchange between wildlife scientists
and law enforcement personnel on the implementation
of the CITES and other wildlife protection issues. The
participation of the NAWEG in the CEC Enforcement Working
Group has fostered communication among wildlife and
pollution enforcement officials across the North American
region. This regional forum has strengthened the potential
for presenting regional policies and proposals to other
international enforcement fora such as Interpol, the
World Customs Organization and CITES. Within the auspices
of NAWEG, other networks have evolved including a network
of North American wildlife inspectors and an emerging
network on wildlife forensics experts.
The
NAWEG is continuing to examine opportunities for cooperation
with other wildlife enforcement agencies and organizations,
including provincial and state agencies and non-governmental
organizations. Through discussions held at the last
NAWEG meeting in spring of 2002, it was decided to explore
with the Secretariat of INECE the added benefit of creating
an international network of wildlife enforcement officers
and interested specialists. Many issues have to be clarified,
including the interest of present networks and organizations
involved in wildlife enforcement. Work is progressing
and, following the regular meeting of the Interpol subgroup
on Wildlife Enforcement and the Conference of the Parties
to the CITES, a decision will be taken regarding the
involvement of NAWEG in INECE. For more information
contact Yvan Lafleur, Director, Enforcement Branch,
Canadian Wildlife service, Environment Canada, Tel:
819-953-4383 Fax: 819-994-5836, Email: Yvan.Lafleur@ec.gc.ca.
Jamaican
Court Imposes Record Fine for Turtle Poachers
 On
January 24, 2002, a Jamaican court handed down the highest
fines ever imposed in Jamaica for an environmental crime
when it sentenced the captain and chief mate of the
vessel Thunder Ridge for poaching conch and endangered
sea turtles. The men were charged under the Wildlife
Protection Act, the Aquaculture Act and the Fishing
Industry Act. Hondurans Clifford Meja and Ashley Hinds
were each fined J$1 million (US$22,100) or 12 months
in prison for unlawfully handling, harvesting and processing
conch without a license. In addition, Meja was fined
J$80,000 and Hinds was fined J$60,000 or six months
imprisonment for possession of a protected animal, a
hawksbill turtle. For more information visit http://www.sidsnet.org/latestarc/coastal-newswire/msg00024.html.
TRAFFIC
Commissions Wildlife Enforcement Training
TRAFFIC [http://www.traffic.org]
staff recently participated in a wildlife enforcement
training workshop lead by the Justice Institute of British
Columbia [http://www.jibc.bc.ca]
The institute, which provides enforcement training throughout
Canada and in a number of countries around the world,
developed an accredited training module for the weeklong
workshop to equip TRAFFIC staff with the skills they
need to provide enforcement assistance around the world.
The workshop was held June 24-28, and sixteen TRAFFIC
staff from around the world participated, including
four from North America. The attendees received training
in running investigations, analyzing intelligence information,
communicating and cooperating with enforcement agencies,
computer encryption, and covert photography. For more
information, including upcoming training opportunities,
contact Crawford Allan, Global Enforcement Support Coordinator
at crawford.allan@trafficint.org.
US
Fish & Wildlife Service Offers Species Conservation
Grants
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service offers grants to
government agencies and non-profit organizations involved
in the conservation of the following species: African
and Asian elephants, Great Apes, Neotropical migratory
birds, rhinoceros and tigers. Grants are for up to $60,000
USD but additional amounts may be considered.
In
addition, the Wildlife Without Borders-Latin America
and the Caribbean (WWB-LAC) program is soliciting proposals
for projects that address the management of fish, plant,
and wildlife resources in the Western Hemisphere. Of
particular interest are projects that strengthen the
capacity of countries in this region to conserve and
sustainably use their biological resources, contribute
to the integration of environmental concerns with sustained
development processes, and which result in specific
and measurable on-the-ground management actions. For
more information, including the complete requests for
proposals, visit http://international.fws.gov/grants/grants.html.
For
more wildlife news, see this article:
In
addition, please visit INECE's Wildlife Forum at http://www.inece.org/forumswildlife.html.
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