WORLD WILDLIFE Day this year took on a firm stance under the slogan, “It’s time to get serious about wildlife crime.” With a yearly yield of US$23 billion from thousands of tons of endangered flora and fauna, wildlife crime is one of the world’s most lucrative illegal trades.

The Philippines has long faced this problem as one of the most biologically endowed nations. Declared as one of 17 megadiversity countries, the archipelago holds more than 6,000 species that cannot be found elsewhere. Despite laws and strict monitoring, continuous wildlife trafficking has led to drastic decreases in endemic wildlife populations.

Latest incidents

In the first half of 2014 alone, 523 animals and 300 wildlife by-products were confiscated, according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

One of these animals was the Palawan forest turtle, a critically endangered species with only about 3,000 remaining in the wild. In the first quarter of 2015, over 186 turtles were rescued from poachers intending to put them on the illegal international pet trade.

The species was once believed to be extinct until it was again found in 2001. After a scientific paper on its rediscovery was published in 2004, the illegal trading of the Palawan forest turtle grew.

Besides endemic animals, the country has also been an entry point for smuggled exotic animals from Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, among others.

In February 2014, local officials seized almost 100 animals, including the Australian wallaby, yellow-crested cockatoos from Papua New Guinea and long-beaked echidnas from Indonesia. The smuggled animals were hidden in a van, with several found dead.

“Recognizing the gravity of the problem and taking urgent steps to stem the trade in and demand for Critically Endangered species is a high priority for species conservation in Southeast Asia,” said Madhu Rao, development coordinator for the Asian Species Action Partnership, in a press release by Traffic International.

Current conservation efforts

The DENR Biodiversity Management Bureau (DENR-BMB) is the agency tasked to monitor, protect and conserve wildlife. DENR also attributes many filed criminal complaints against wildlife law violators to citizen action through social media.

“Social media and public assistance play an increasing role in helping authority fight the illegal wildlife trade,” DENR Secretary Ramon Paje said in an interview with GMA News. According to him, the efforts of internet users who submitted photos and vital information to the DENR-BMB led to numerous wildlife rescue operations around the country.

These wildlife rescue operations have also seen recent success. On March 3, 112 personnel from the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, National Bureau of Investigation and Department of Transportation and Communications were awarded by DENR for their work in cracking down on illegal wildlife trade. As part of the Philippine Operation Group on Ivory, the honorees were responsible for the rescue of at least 1,400 species that are valued at P7.1 M. Criminal charges against 24 individuals were also filed for their violation of the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act or Republic Act (RA) No. 9147.

Last October, a bill seeking to increase penalties and expand the list of prohibited acts in RA 9147 was also filed in Congress. Filed by Zamboanga Sibugay Representative Ann Hofer, House Bill No. 4569 is currently pending with the Committee on Natural Resources.

The importance of regional collaborations among countries in the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) has also been highlighted by the government. The Asean Wildlife Enforcement Network was established in 2005 to combat illegal wildlife trade. With the constant coordination of the various Asean countries, gaps in communication among relevant agencies will be filled in to suppress crimes against wildlife.

Future trade

Since the United Nations declared March 3 as World Wildlife Day two years ago, organizations and governments across the world have celebrated accordingly. New York, for example, hosted a high-level stakeholder dialogue on illegal wildlife trade that involved more than a hundred representatives from member states. Seventeen courier companies in China also sealed a Zero Tolerance pledge against illegal wildlife trade. Likewise, the Philippines has consistently joined in with activities and awareness campaigns such as the release of marine turtles in identified coastal areas last year.

Ateneo Biological Organization President Jhoana Garces sees that the publicity on biodiversity conservation and wildlife protection “has been more pronounced and reached a good number of audiences,” with the implementation of laws, ordinances, and local projects.

According to Garces, wildlife protection efforts should balance the concerns of the community, local government, and private developers.