DENR welcomes UN technical review guide vs wildlife trade

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has welcomed a technical review process launched by the United Nations International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) that aims to assess the government’s response to illegal wildlife trade and other forest crimes.

Speaking during the launch of the ICCWC’s “Wildlife and Forest Crime Analytic Toolkit” last May 23, acting Environment Secretary Jim Sampulna said the DENR needs all the help it can get to improve its fight against the multibillion-dollar illegal trade of wildlife and wildlife by-products.

“This is where the International Consortium on Combatting Wildlife and Forest Crime analytic toolkit can bridge the gap,” Sampulna added.

Illegal wildlife trade is fast becoming a lucrative business, with trading value at around $50 billion per year, thus “allowing perpetrators to invest in measures that will enable them to escape detection, investigation and prosecution,” according to the acting DENR chief.

He underscored that international support plays a crucial role in the Philippine government’s enforcement of environmental laws and prosecution of culprits.

He explained that with the help of the UN’s Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the ICCWC’s analytical review toolkit will help the DENR better understand any loopholes in existing preventive measures as well as the criminal justice system’s response to wildlife and forest crimes.

“Through the toolkit, concerned agencies can jointly identify systematic issues and agree on evidence-based recommendation in response to legislative, enforcement, prosecution and judiciary facets of wildlife trade,” Sampulna said.

“To protect people and the planet in line with the sustainable development goals, and to build back better from the COVID-19 crisis, we have to combat environmental crimes, including the illegal trafficking of wild flora and fauna,” he added.

UNODC-Environment Team chief Jorge Rios, United States Embassy for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs director Kelia Cummins and Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora secretary-general Ivonne Higuero also attended the launch.