Alarm bell on wildlife crime in the Northeast

The rise in trafficking of pangolin scales and ivory in the northeast region highlighted in Monday’s edition of this newspaper puts the spotlight on gaps in wildlife crime control. India has put in place strong and adequate legal frameworks to curb wildlife crime. Improving coordination and sharing of intelligence among India and neighbouring countries on a real-time basis is urgently required before the traffickers become successful in expanding their network using the northeastern region as the transit. Poaching and smuggling of wildlife parts cannot be seen in isolation from other forms of illicit trafficking, such as the trafficking of drugs and contraband items and the trafficking of exotic wildlife species. The Regional Investigative and Analytical Case Meeting on Exotic Species Trafficking held at the headquarters of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in New Delhi on February 22–23 discussed in detail the modus operandi of wildlife traffickers and measures to curb it. The meeting was attended by experts from India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Thailand. Indonesia decided that the five nations would launch a coordinated crackdown on wildlife traffickers using Interpol channels. They focused on four crucial routes used by traffickers: air routes from Africa to Southeast Asia to Bangladesh; Malaysia and Indonesia to China through land borders with Thailand and Myanmar; Malayasia to Thailand and then to India through airlines; and Thailand to India through a land border with Myanmar. Building awareness among borderland people about the threat posed by wildlife trafficking to the rich biodiversity in the region can go a long way in strengthening ground-level intelligence against traffickers attempting to open new routes and recruit local unemployed people for conduit. India took a significant step forward in wildlife control in 2016 when the Union Cabinet approved the proposal of the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Climate Change for the adoption of the Statute of South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN). India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka are members of SAWEN. Some other key steps taken by India to curb illegal wildlife trafficking and wildlife crimes include signing the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) that monitors international trade in wildlife and its derivatives; becoming part of the Global Wildlife Programme supported by the Global Environment Facility for combating illegal wildlife trade with the support of communities; making bilateral and multilateral arrangements with other countries; and establishing the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), with a network of five regional and three sub-regional offices. As the illicit market for live wildlife and exotic species and wildlife parts has grown, strengthening the WCCB and other wildlife crime agencies is crucial to strengthening the enforcement of legal provisions. The number of sanctioned posts in WCCB was 109, and nearly 30% of the of the posts were vacant until July 2023. Recruitment, deputation, and promotion in WCCB need to be expedited on a priority basis so that the Bureau can function effectively in coordination with the state enforcement agencies. Building the capacity of frontline staff is critical to fast-track investigation, forensic studies, filing strong charge sheets, and successful prosecution against the traffickers. Establishing the crime remains a key challenge due to a lack of adequate understanding of various provisions of the laws against wildlife crimes and evidence collection. Building the capacities of investigation agencies and staff in application of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 is essential to strengthening prosecution. Wildlife offences involving a total value of Rs. 30.00 lakh or more have been brought under the purview of the PMLA, which has provided more teeth to wildlife investigation agencies. The WCCB has also brought out a Handbook for Wildlife Crime Investigation Officers on Wildlife Crime Investigation, an X-Ray Manual of Wildlife Products in Illegal Trade, and an Identification Manual of Wildlife Species in Trade. Nearly three decades have elapsed since India took note of the rise in wildlife crime in 1994, while reports of the entire tiger population in Sarsika Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan disappearing due to tiger poaching and smuggling of parts pressed the alarm bell in 2004, leading to the to the establishment of the WCCB in 2007. Growing man-animal conflict in Assam and other states in the region is another area of concern, as wildlife traffickers exploit such situations to target wildlife in distress for smuggling their parts. The rugged terrain and deep forest tracks along the borders of the region pose a tougher challenge for wildlife crime investigation agencies to curb trafficking. Recruiting wildlife conservation volunteers from among the communities living along the strategic border regions needs policy push by the central as well as state governments so that they can serve as the eyes and ears of the investigating agencies in curbing wildlife poaching and smuggling. International coordination and sharing of intelligence by India and other nations on wildlife crime can be effective only when adequate local intelligence along the smuggling routes and possible new routes is available with the cooperation of people.