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Wildlife Crime Units
HIGHLIGHTS
Highlights
Some statistics:
• 60% of the tiger bone imports to Korea from Indonesia.
• Up to 25 tons of turtles exported from Sumatra every week.
• 500,000 to 1,500,000 water birds hunted every year in Java.
• Jakarta bird market sells around 30,000/month.
• At least 5,000 tons/year of live turtles exported annually.
• A single market in North Sulawesi can sell 90,000 mammals/year.
• Iillegal collection of the eggs of one protected turtle species is estimated to be 1.5-2 million/year.
• Reported exports of wildlife are an order of magnitude greater annual CITES quotas.
• Illegal trade is likely to be many times greater than legal exports.
WCS Involvement
• Since 1997
Contacts
Noviar Andayani
Indonesia Program Director
Jalan Pangrango No. 8
Bogor, West Java, Indonesia
nandayani@wcs.org
For more information, see: www.wcsip.org
Wildlife Conservation Society
International Conservation
Asia Program
2300 Southern Blvd.
Bronx, NY 10460 USA
www.wcs.org
For printable version, click here
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Indonesia is one of the world’s richest countries in terms of biodiversity. However, with a human population that is the fourth highest in the world, and growing development pressure to exploit it’s natural resources, it is also at the front-line in the conservation of biodiversity. Indonesia is now home to the highest number of internationally threatened mammals and birds. The threat to wildlife in Indonesia from unsustainable and illegal hunting is huge. While Indonesia has a legal framework for controlling wildlife hunting and trade that is ranked among the best in South-east Asia, its enforcement is currently far from effective. Between 2002 and 2005 the Wildlife Conservation Society and The Indonesian Department of Forestry have piloted a novel approach to regional wildlife crime enforcement, based on the formation of low-cost collaborative teams made up of the major enforcement agencies and supporting non-governmental partners. These so called ‘Wildlife Crime Units’ have worked together to share resources, build motivation and ensure due process of law. In doing so they have demonstrated that a real impact can be made on wildlife crime and trade.
The Human Aspect
The profile of the wildlife hunting and trade threat in Indonesia is complex and varied. It can be grouped into several key categories:
· Subsistence hunting by local communities. Frequently unsustainable, threatens many bird and mammal species.
· Hunting to supply the wildlife trade for local markets. Linked to subsistence hunting this meets local food and medicine demands.
· Hunting to supply the wildlife trade for national and international markets. Threatens many birds, primates and reptiles.
Threats
Indonesia is the largest exporter of wildlife in all Asia, matched by a massive domestic demand. For many species Indonesia is the start of a supply chain that stretches across the globe. The Indonesian Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2020, identifies actions to tackle illegal logging and hunting highlighted weak sectoral linkages, under-resourced protected areas and low stakeholder capacity. These are addressed by the WCU approach.
WCS Activities
Wildlife Crime Units are a novel collaborative approach to wildlife law enforcement. The ‘units’ are formed from staff seconded from within BKSDA, police and local environmental NGOs. This lies at the heart of the concept; each participant brings their institutional mandate, their strengths and respective authority and works together. The core team is backed further by media, technical and legal experts and community alliances. Together the team:
· Forms a local collaboration of government and non-government agencies committed to tackling wildlife crime.
· Investigates and monitors illegal hunting and wildlife sales
· Strengthens law enforcement from arrest of suspects to evidence gathering and due legal process.
· Provides legal and technical support and capacity building to outside partners.
· Promotes public awareness of wildlife protection and laws by monitoring and publicizing legal proceedings and working with communities to carry out public awareness campaigns
Active Wildlife Crimes Units, led by WCS, are currently running in southern Sumatra and northern Sulawesi.
Important Next Steps
WCS Indonesia has developed a strategy for expanding the Wildlife Crime Unit approach. This includes:
·Establish WCU concept nationally. We intend to expand the network to include new areas. Current priorities include establishing teams in Maluku and Jakarta.
·To build the national lobby for wildlife crime abolition. By working in collaboration with other partners and media we hope to mount a national media and lobby campaign to raise the profile and impact of wildlife crime.
·To build national coordination and authority
·Simultaneous lobbying for greater national coordination. We intend to work with the Department of Forestry and other law enforcement agencies, to develop their capacity to provide that coordination.
·To build regional coordination and enforcement. We intend to build on the success of the Lampung and Sulawesi WCU to promote similar low-cost collaborative approaches to law enforcement in other provinces.
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