Support to Strengthen Wildlife Law Enforcement

The Lao PDR has recently been receiving a lot of attention by the international community with regard to the issue of illegal wildlife trade. The Lao PDR has been identified by many observers as a transit country for the illegal trade of wildlife products coming from Africa and ultimately destined for China and Vietnam. Recent reports have also identified that the Lao PDR is becoming a consuming country for items such as ivory, rhinoceros horns and tiger products, predominantly purchased by tourists coming from neighboring Thailand, China and Vietnam. Most recently, in July 2016, the CITES secretariat made a visit to the Lao PDR and subsequently published a report highlighting the most urgent actions to be taken by the Lao PDR to comply with its international obligations under CITES.  

At the CITES COP 17 in Johannesburg, September 2016, the Lao PDR announced its intention to discuss ways of phasing out its tiger and bear farms. This announcement was very much welcomed by all conservation parties, including WWF. This activity comes in direct support of this dynamic approach led by the Government of Laos and seeks to support the Government’s initiatives to stop illegal wildlife trade in the country.

The overall goal of the Activity is to support the Government of Laos to address illegal wildlife trade in key markets and trade hubs in the country. The Activity also aims to support awareness and information-sharing, strengthen law enforcement, and enhance international cooperation for key government agencies in Lao PDR

This activity is also to provide support for Lao PDR Government agencies, through the Department of Forest Inspection (DoFI) as lead agency of Lao-WEN, to participate in relevant regional and international meetings on illegal wildlife trade.

The project and all activities are supported by WWF-Switzerland and WWF-Singapore. 

The Hanoi Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade is held in Ha Noi, which endorsed prioritized actions in promoting the international community to combatting illegal wildlife trade of fauna and flora.

The Conference, chaired by Dr. Ha Cong Tuan, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Viet Nam, and attended by H.E Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh, Vice State President of Viet Nam,; H.E Sonxay Siphandone, Deputy Prime Minister of Lao PDR; the Duke of Cambridge and H.E Yury Fedotov, Under- Secretary-General of the United Nations; world leaders from 47 nations and heads of 07 international and UN agencies, commit to help save iconic species from the brink of extinction by implementing collaborative measures to combat illegal wildlife trade.

(Click on the photo to view more information of the conferecne and attached PDF file for the press release) 

An alarming increase in snares in Southeast Asian forests is pushing many species such as leopards, tigers and saola to the brink of extinction and could lead to “empty forest syndrome,” say leading conservation scientists who are calling for concerted regional action against poaching and the possession of snares.
 

Writing in the prestigious international journal SCIENCE, the authors point to an alarming increase in unsustainable hunting both inside and outside protected areas – driven largely by cheaply made homemade wire snares that kill or maim any animal that encounters them.

The authors note that patrols cannot keep up with the pace of snares set by poachers and call for laws that penalize snare possession and the materials used for their construction.

GOLDEN TRIANGLE is a global hub for trade in some of the world’s most endangered wildlife species. Perfectly situated where Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and China come together, the area is home to large casinos, shopping malls and local markets that attract tourists from around the region, especially China. It has become a haven for gambling, prostitution and illicit trade in many goods, including wildlife. WWF has identified ten of the most widely traded endangered species that can be found in the markets of the Golden Triangle -- species that could go extinct if this trade persists.

1. WWF Commends Laos’ Decision to Dismantle Tiger Farms

(KPL News) The intention by the Government of Laos to phase out its tiger farms -- announced at the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES (CoP17) in Johannesburg, South Africa -- is a major step in fighting the illegal wildlife trade, WWF said.    

Read more here
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2. Laos promises to phase out tiger farms: Conservation groups
 

(Laotian Times) JOHANNESBURG — Laos has promised to phase out farms that breed endangered tigers for their body parts, a positive step from a country believed to be a major hub of wildlife trafficking in Asia, conservation groups said Friday. 

Read more here
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3. Laos to phase out controversial tiger farms 
 

(Xinhua) Lao government will phase out tiger farms, Lao state-run online newspaper Vientiane Times reported Wednesday.

According to the report, a Lao official confirmed there are indeed some tiger farms in the country following recent international media reports about the controversial practice.

"Tigers are being bred by people on their own land," the official said.

Read more here
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4. WWF hails Laos’ decision to dismantle tiger farms as major step in fighting illegal wildlife trade