USAID Wildlife Asia
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), working closely with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), addresses wildlife trafficking as a transnational crime through the USAID Wildlife Asia activity. The activity works to reduce consumer demand for wildlife parts and products, strengthen law enforcement skills, enhance policy, legislation and jurisprudence and improve regional action to reduce wildlife crime in Southeast Asia and China.
Elephant ivory, rhino horn, tiger as well as pangolins are among the top items illegally traded worldwide, and especially in Southeast Asia and China. Transcontinental organized wildlife crime decimates wildlife populations, destroying opportunities for local community wildlife-based livelihoods, and does not contribute to national revenues. Wildlife trafficking undermines the rule of law, supports corruption and money laundering, facilitates spread of zoonotic diseases, and has links to terrorism. Click here for the more information of this initiative.
Highlights
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Feb 17, 2020 · News ItemJob: Senior National Training Coordinator
Freeland, as one of the main sub-contractors under USAID Wildlife Asia, is recruiting for a full-time Senior National Training Coordinator position to support USAID Wildlife Asia’s efforts to strengthen law enforcement capacity and coordination. The position will be based at the USAID Wildlife Asia office in Bangkok, Thailand with an… -
Jan 27, 2020 · News ItemUSAID Facilitates Groundbreaking Changes to Thailand’s National Wildlife Law
In November 2019, the new Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act B.E. 2562 (2019) (WARPA) took effect in Thailand, enhancing the protection levels of endangered species and dramatically increasing the penalties in most cases. Thailand now has some of the severest penalties for illegal wildlife trafficking offences in the region, which…
Upcoming Events
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Mar 03, 2020 · EventUSAID, DNP to Launch New "No Ivory No Tiger Amulets" Campaign on World Wildlife Day
The launch of the new wildlife demand reduction campaign will be part of the activities for this year's World Wildlife Day. -
Feb 24, 2020 · EventIntroductory Social and Behavior Change Communication Training for Department of National Parks, Wildife and Plant Conservation Officials
The DNP is a key government partner of USAID Wildlife Asia and both parties have collaborated on various activities to counter wildlife trafficking.
Innovations
USAID WIldlife Asia works with partners to develop a collection of tools to facilitate all the objectives. Up to now, 5 tools were developed, as follows:
Counter Wildlife Trafficking Initiatives Reference Guide
An online version of the Counter Wildlife Trafficking Initiatives Reference Guide
SIG Wildlife Investigator App
This is a mobile app for iOS and Android, aimed to facilitate Special Investigator Group (SIG) in coordinating, communicating, and training.
Pangolin Species Identification Guide:
A Rapid Assessment Tool for Field and Desk:
This guide is designed to help you confidently identify the eight species of pangolin, and when possible, body parts and scales even when removed from the animal.
CITES Species Database
The CITES species Guide. Roughly 5,800 species of animals and 30,000 species of plants are protected by CITES against over-exploitation through international trade.
Resources
Featured reports and fact sheets:
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Sep 06, 2019 · FileScaling Efforts to Counter-Wildlife Trafficking Through Legislative Reforms - A Selection of Best Practices, Key Innovations and Model Provisions
This monograph provides a short description and highlights key provisions of a selection of legislative and policy innovations and best practices available in the ASEAN region and other jurisdictions. It also provides examples of model provisions that could enhance counter wildlife trafficking efforts. -
Mar 03, 2019 · FileUSAID Wildlife Asia Counter Wildlife Trafficking Digest, Issue II, March 2019
USAID Wildlife Asia regularly updates documentation of the current state of wildlife trafficking of these species through a compilation of secondary information to report on and analyze trends and changes in patterns of trade. The Activity also provides an evidence base to support decision-making about priority interventions in policy, law… -
Feb 08, 2019 · FilePangolin Species Identification Guide: A Rapid Assessment Tool for Field and Desk (Lao version)
This guide is published in Lao and designed to help you confidently identify the eight species of pangolin, and when possible, body parts and scales even when removed from the animal.
Reducing Consumer Demand
Surging demand, high prices and lucrative profits from wildlife products are driving the drastic decline in species such as elephants, rhinos, tigers and pangolins. USAID Wildlife Asia helps reduce this demand by communicating, mobilizing and advocating ways to change practices and build new social norms around the use of wildlife products.
Building Political Committment
The Supreme Court of Thailand is the key Thai government counterpart for USAID Wildlife Asia, and activities strengthen the Green Benches program, improving court rules of procedures and introducing sentencing guidelines for wildlife crimes.
Enhancing Law Enforcement
Working with Interpol, the ASEAN National Police and the ASEAN Working Group on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and Wildlife Enforcement, USAID Wildlife Asia supports law enforcement collaboration in the region and brings together enforcement authorities in Asia and Africa to share intelligence on active investigations and collaborate in dismantling transcontinental trafficking syndicates.
Supporting US Government Coordination
USAID Wildlife Asia collects, synthesizes and shares information on counter wildlife trafficking efforts with U.S. agencies in the region, providing a knowledge management hub.