From snow leopards and red pandas in Bhutan, to orangutans in Indonesia, to tigers and elephants in India, our world is richer and more whole – as well as more bounteous and productive - because these species are in it.

Bengal tiger on the move, Tadoba National Park, India. Photo: Gregoire Dubois

But this simple premise requires hard work and nimble policy to address those spaces where the interests of humans and those of wildlife seem to be at odds.

Conflict between humans and wildlife arises most frequently when plentiful ecosystems abut dense human populations. 

Indian elephants and egrets in grasslands, Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India. Photo: Gregoire Dubois

The Asia-Pacific region is an area of both high human populations (>60% of the global total) and key environmental significance: it boasts four of the world’s top ten megadiverse countries. 

Primary forest, Danum valley, Borneo, Malaysia. Photo: Gregoire Dubois

Recalibrating supply and demand

Relatedly, the region represents the world’s largest stocks of (and demand for) wildlife products, including the illegal trade in flora and fauna.

In response, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is supporting a number of initiatives to combat the Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) in the region. 

Seizure of tiger teeth. Photo: UNDP Thailand

Combatting Illegal Wildlife Trade Malaysia CIREBON, Operation Kukang. Photo: UNDP Malaysia

Protecting wildlife globally and across Asia

The Global Wildlife Program (GWP) is an international partnership on wildlife conservation and crime prevention for sustainable development which is coordinated by the World Bank.

Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the GWP is working to combat the illegal wildlife trade and promote sustainable, wildlife-based economies for resilient development. 

Red panda. Photo: Christian Krumbholz/Pexels.com

It brings together 37 national projects across 32 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean.

The GWP addresses growing threats to wildlife and sustainable development, such as poaching, trafficking, human-wildlife conflict, and livelihood opportunities for communities living alongside wildlife.

Baby and mother orangutan, Taman National Park, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. Photo: Dimitry B/Unsplash.com

Indian rhinoceros, Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India. Photo: Gregoire Dubois

Of the 37 national projects, 12 are underway in countries across Asia, led by national government agencies and supported by various GEF agencies, namely UNDP, UN Environment Programme, Asian Development Bank, World Wildlife Fund, International Union for Conservation of Nature, and the World Bank. 

Indian leopard, Jim Corbett National Park, India. Photo: Gregoire Dubois

Of these 12 projects, UNDP coordinates eight projects in six countries.

This feature highlights work in Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. 

Grey langur, Jim Corbett National Park, India. Photo: Gregoire Dubois

Strengthening the Tiger’s Role as King of the Jungle

In Indonesia, it is the tiger – not the lion - that is referred to as Raja Rimba (king of the jungle).

Harimau Sumatera, Hendry Mono. Photo: Shutterstock.com

The governance of biodiversity conservation work remains one of the main challenges in the effort to combat the Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) in Indonesia. Among other issues that can impinge on wildlife conservation, poor collaboration between law enforcement agencies poses a threat to ensuring that wildlife stays in the wild.

Illegal wildlife operation by the Directorate of Forest Protections staff, Directorate General of Law Enforcement on Environment and Forestry, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. Photo: CIWT Project

To this end, the Combating Illegal and Unsustainable Trade in Endangered Species in Indonesia project is working to strengthen leadership and coordination, and support the formation and implementation of strong anti-IWT policies.

The project is working to simultaneously reduce wildlife exploitation, and to decrease the rate of globally significant biodiversity loss, both nationally and across the region. 

Bogani Nani Wartabone Landscape, Indonesia. Photo: Faiz Yajri

We need to know what we’re losing so we can fight to save it

The project addresses several aspects of IWT, using tools from domains as varied as economics, law enforcement, legal policy and information technology.

Minister of Environment and Forestry, Dr. Ir. Siti Nurbaya Bakar, M.Sc., attended the inauguration graduation of 57 personnel of SPORC (Satuan Polisi Kehutanan Reaksi Cepat), an elite squad of Directorate General of Law Enforcement Forest Rangers, facilitated by the CIWT Project. Photo: UNDP Indonesia

Forest ranger Patrol in Gunung Leuser National Park, Indonesia. Photo: CIWT Project

Snare removal patrol in Lore Lindu National Park, Indonesia. Photo: CIWT Project

On the economics side, the country has completed an Economic Value Assessment of Protected Wildlife to Support Legal Processes study.

In the study, the 25 most illegally traded wildlife species in Indonesia were assessed; the results demonstrated that the value of these species is at least six times higher than what previous, conventional economic valuation methodologies had shown.

This fills a significant gap by giving a more accurate picture of the monetary value of these species, thereby raising their profile in the judicial system and resulting in more appropriate sanctions and penalties.

IWT Pengamanan Buaya. Photo: UNDP Indonesia

On the policy side, the country has developed the National Strategy and Action Plan for Combatting Illegal and Unsustainable Trade in Endangered Species in Indonesia. It presents a policy model that has the potential for replication in other regions and countries to meet the complexities of combatting IWT by providing a more coordinated policy-level approach.

Snare trap removed by forest rangers in Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, Indonesia. Photo: Edi Susanto, National Geographic Indonesia

 

This has been bolstered by the creation and roll-out of the Forest Security Vulnerability Monitoring System, or SPARTAN, a real-time reporting app for forest rangers to improve efficiency in notifying their chain of command of crimes.

This application was initiated by the Directorate of Forest Protections, Directorate General of Law Enforcement on Environment and Forestry, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry and facilitated by the CIWT Project.

Ranger patrol in Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, Indonesia. Photo: Edi Susanto, National Geographic Indonesia

These efforts have borne fruit, as evidenced by data from the Directorate of Criminal Law Enforcement - Directorate General of Law Enforcement on Environment and Forestry, which showed a greater proportion of cases prosecuted and settled for IWT-related crimes. 

Snares collected by wildlife protection officers from Taman Nasional Kerinci Seblat, Indonesia. Photo: Edi Susanto, National Geographic Indonesia

Enhancing Thailand’s Wildlife Enforcement Network

In Thailand, the Combating Illegal Wildlife Trade project is focusing on ivory, rhino horns, tiger parts, and pangolins. The project is working towards reducing the trafficking of wildlife through enhanced enforcement capacity, collaboration, and targeted behaviour change campaigns. 

Photo: Ashes Sitoula/Unsplash.com

In 2020, the project facilitated the establishment of Thailand’s Wildlife Enforcement Network committee.

The organization’s structure, role and functions were endorsed and approved by the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resource and Environment.

The endorsement of the committee has increased coordination among agencies and sharing of information via a project-supported database collection tool, which has already led to successful raids, arrests, and seizures of smuggled wildlife. 

Illegal Wildlife Trade, Wildlife crime investigation training workshop. Photo: UNDP Thailand

The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) has established a joint IWT investigation task force pangolin working group, comprising DNP law enforcement officers and officers from the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Division, who jointly revisit previous cases which have the potential to generate ongoing, significant evidence for further investigation into the IWT supply chain.

DNP has also conducted a series of training courses on wildlife crime investigation techniques, including information intelligence databases and analytical software for law enforcement officers, as well as a course on digital deterrence to enable the online monitoring of illegal wildlife products for the DNP’s wildlife crime online investigation teams (Wild Hawk task force).

These enforcement efforts have been coupled with information-sharing campaigns and dissemination of materials supporting the Wild Animal Reservation and Protection Act 2019.

Wildlife crime investigation training workshop. Photo: UNDP Thailand

Protecting the snow queen and securing livelihoods in India

In terms of elevation, India’s Himalayas are far from the jungles of Southeast Asia, but the country’s Securing Livelihoods, Conservation, Sustainable Use and Restoration of High Range Himalayan Ecosystems (SECURE) Himalayas project is working towards goals that are congruent with those of its lowland neighbours. 

Ladakh, India. Photo: Shutterstock.com

The project is working to promote the sustainable management of alpine pastures and forests in high altitude Himalayan ecosystems to ensure the conservation of globally significant wildlife and their habitats, while simultaneously safeguarding sustainable livelihoods of the local community.

The project landscapes are home to rare and threatened species such as the majestic Snow Leopard, Panthera uncia.

Adult snow leopard sitting on mountain ridge in Hemis National Park, Ladakh, India. Photo: Shutterstock.com

Friend or foe?

In these landscapes, Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) persists in the form of livestock depredation by carnivores, resulting in hardships for the local community. To mitigate conflict, technology-based wildlife deterrent systems are being piloted across the project landscapes.

Consultation with local community members on the construction of corrals. Photo: Siddharth P Nair/UNDP India

Corral, Ladakh, India. Photo: Siddharth P Nair/UNDP India

A mobile application to report HWC incidents has been developed, and predator-proofing of corral pens has been completed in a participatory manner in seven HWC-prone villages.

Since the predator-proofing of corral pens was undertaken in Changthang, Ladakh, these villages have not reported a single case of HWC, thereby proving to be successful model that is now being upscaled across the landscape.

The construction of corrals helps protect livestock and mitigates HWC. Photo: Siddharth P Nair/UNDP India

The HWC strategies are coupled with a Wildlife Crime Database Centre to enable digitization and advanced analysis of all wildlife crime-related data in the state of Uttarakhand.

Enhanced inter-agency coordination and capacity building has also resulted in increased interception of illicit wildlife products in the region.

Aniders Installation & training of foresters. Photo: Paridhi Jain/UNDP India

To accurately estimate the snow leopard and prey populations in the Indian Himalayas in 2019 the Wildlife Institute of India and the Nature Conservation Foundation developed the first national protocol on Snow-leopard Population Assessment under the guidance of the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change.

To strengthen India’s long-term commitment to snow leopard conservation, the Ministry is in the process of establishing a Snow Leopard Cell to support snow leopard range states and union territories to better implement snow leopard conservation initiatives, and to meet the country’s international commitments under the Global Snow Leopard & Ecosystem Protection Program.

Spotting snow leopards. Photo: UNDP India

Hidden no more

Further along the Himalayan range, Bhutan was once called ‘the hidden kingdom’ - a tiny and remote nation nestled in the mountains.

The Himalayas. Photo: Jeremy BezangerUnsplash.com

The “Mainstreaming biodiversity conservation into the tourism sector in Bhutan project is working to incorporate biodiversity conservation policies into the country’s tourism development efforts. Working in the project sites (Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary, Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary, and surrounding landscapes in five districts), the project is working on long-term strategies to mitigate threats to biodiversity and to generate sustainable conservation financing and livelihoods.

Teenage monks at the Thujidrag Gompa in Thimphu, Bhutan. Photo: Adli Wahid/Unsplash.com

Over half of Bhutan’s geographical area is currently designated as protected areas (national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, nature reserves and biological corridors).

Bhutan’s national development philosophy ‘Gross National Happiness’ considers the country’s rich biodiversity to be a development asset. 

Red panda. Photo: Michael Payne/Unsplash.com

The project’s main species focus lies on (flagship species for ecotourism) red pandas, black-necked cranes, Ludlow’s Bhutan Glory butterflies, golden langurs, golden mahseers, and many varieties of birds.

However, threats to biodiversity resources - particularly emerging from human wildlife conflict - are a major issue in the country as it risks engendering negative attitudes towards wildlife and conservation among adjacent communities. 

One Horned Rhino in Royal Manas National Park, Bhutan. Photo: @PraveenMuraleedharan

By harmonizing and incorporating biodiversity policy with tourism development through an ecotourism approach, local communities are simultaneously less likely to suffer from HWC and better able to avail themselves of sustainable livelihoods and economic opportunities.

Thimphu, Bhutan. Photo: Pema Gyamtsho/Unsplash.com

Fighting against wildlife crime to protect iconic species in Malaysia

Malaysia’s project, Building Institutional and Local Capacities to Reduce Wildlife Crime and Enhance Protection of Iconic Wildlife, currently in the final design stage, aims to enhance the protection of three iconic wildlife species and their habitats in Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak and Sabah – the Malayan tiger, Bornean orang-utan and Bornean banteng. 

Photo: Dimitry B/Unsplash.com

Photo: Frida Bredesen/Unsplash.com

Bornean banteng. Photo: UNDP Malaysia

All of these species are globally threatened, and populations of these key species are subject to serious ongoing pressures that will lead to their imminent extinction if additional action is not taken. These pressures are inextricably linked with regional and global trends that have contributed to the existential crisis facing biodiversity in the 21st Century, including the destruction of tropical forest habitats in general, and wildlife crime in particular. 

Sabah, Malaysia. Photo: Yves de Soye/UNDP Malaysia

The project will help increase Malaysia’s capacity to prevent, combat and investigate wildlife crimes, as well as strengthen the participatory management of protected area landscapes and species. 

Sabah, Malaysia. Photo: Ej Yao/Unsplash.com

Bornean banteng. Photo: UNDP Malaysia

Stronger together

These national and regional efforts help build a shared future for all life, ensuring that the illegal wildlife trade and the human-wildlife conflict don’t set back conservation, development, and economic goals.

These projects’ successes and lessons learned highlight the need to act urgently for nature and achieve a future where people and biodiversity thrive together.

Indian elephant, Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India. Photo: Gregoire Dubo