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Laos to work out new strategy in combating illegal wildlife trade

Xinhua, September 23, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Lao Wildlife Enforcement Network (Lao-Wen) is meeting from Wednesday to Friday to discuss a new strategy and rules to facilitate stakeholders' participation in combating wildlife crime, local daily Vientiane Times reported on Friday.

Approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in September 2010, Lao-Wen is an interagency coordination body created to stamp out wildlife crime through the enforcement of laws, headed by the ministry's Department of Forest Inspection, and supported by the ministry's Department of Forestry and the Department of Forest Resource Management. It is also backed by various departments of other Lao government bodies.

Speaking at the meeting in Vientiane province, Director General of the Department of Forest Inspection Khamphout Phandanouvong said "This meeting will deliver a new strategy and action plan that defines the role and obligations of the various departments and sectors in the coordination process to effectively combat the illegal trade in wildlife and plants."

In an interview with Vientiane Times on Thursday, the department's Deputy Director General Phonsavanh Sophakhamphanh said Lao-Wen was founded along with the networks in other ASEAN countries following the foundation of the enforcement network in the region (ASEAN-Wen) in 2012. But, he said, "none of them had developed a strategy and Lao-Wen was now attempting to right this deficiency to make the network a model within ASEAN."

Phonsavanh also admitted to shortcomings in combating wildlife crime in the past, pointing to the lack of close coordination among the various sectors involved, and the lack of guidelines defining the roles and obligations of those sectors.

"We have to define what the Customs Department, the Department of Environment Police, and the Department of Lao Interpol Police, for example, should do in this regard," he said.

Even though the Law on Wildlife of Laos prohibits trade in forest and aquatic animals, they have been found on display for sale such as rock deer, with their bodies and parts found regularly in some "markets" and on menus of many restaurants around the country.

Lao forest officials said the document that is being developed to stipulate standard operational principles would better facilitate the prevention of hunting and trade in wildlife.

According to the minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Decision No. 239 dated June 6, 2016 authorises Lao-Wen to directly coordinate with ministries, institutions and various units at the national and international levels under the ASEAN-Wen. This enables the taskforce unit together with the investigation team to take action in investigating transnational wildlife crimes in Laos. Endit