SE Asia takes aim at illegal wildlife trade
SE Asia takes aim at illegal wildlife trade
Darren Schuettler, Reuters, Bangkok
Southeast Asia announced on Monday its first coordinated effort
against the multi-billion dollar illegal wildlife trade, drawing
praise from conservationists despite giving no timetable for the
plan.
The 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN)
pledged to share intelligence, review weak laws and tighten
borders in a region that accounts for a quarter of the global
illegal trade in animals and plants.
"There has been virtually no cross-border law enforcement
cooperation going on. So this is a big moment," Steve Galster,
director of WildAid Thailand which had called for a "wildlife
Interpol" for the region.
"Once they start doing joint operations and put pressure on
these traffickers they are going to catch some of them".
Thai Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti said the ASEAN
action plan would promote "closer engagement among neighbors to
combat illegal trade which is a problem that extends well beyond
our borders and jurisdictions".
The announcement was made at a meeting of the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in Bangkok,
where Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra offered to host a
summit on a regional law enforcement network next year.
Asia is an international hotspot for the illegal trade in
endangered plants and animals, driven mostly by China where
demand from restaurants, medicine shops and private collectors
has surged along with the nation's wealth.
Conservationists say Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand
are used by smugglers to transport everything from rhino horns
and tiger skins to rare snakes, fresh water turtles and tropical
wood.
The profits are huge.
One Asian rhino horn can bring a poacher up to US$500 and
command between $37,000 and $50,000 from its end buyers. Tiger
skins can sell for $15,000.
Ramin, a timber used for snooker cues and threatened by
illegal logging, can vary from $600 to $1,200 per cubic meter.
Some traffickers are linked to organized crime. Others use the
Internet to sell their goods. Few are caught, and if they are
arrested, jail terms are rare.
The ASEAN initiative calls for "bilateral and multilateral
arrangements between enforcement agencies" and to "strengthen
enforcement efforts along key border regions". It also recognized
the need to review legislation to better enforce CITES.
But there was no timetable for implementing the plan.
Indonesia, in charge of driving the initiative within ASEAN, said
it would be launched in the near future.