Regional Training of Trainers on Wildlife Crime Investigation Prosecution and Legal Documentation Kickstarts!

Posted on July, 15 2024

15th July 2024, Chitwan: A “Regional Training of Trainers on Wildlife Crime Investigation, Prosecution and Legal Documentation” kickstarted at the periphery of Chitwan National Park. This 5 Day training is hosted by WWF Nepal, WWF Bhutan, and TRAFFIC India in collaboration with the South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN). 31 Participants from five SAWEN member countries Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka are participating in this training program along with SAWEN, TRAFFIC and WWF Bhutan and WWF Nepal.  

Mr. Dil Bahadur Purja Pun, Senior Conservation Officer, Chitwan National Park, delivered the welcome speech, mentioning that the training is about four things: knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviors. As a Park manager, he also highlighted the importance of having competent, high caliber professionals and Subject Matter Experts (SME) to enhance conservation efforts.

Moving forward, Mr. Madhav Khadka, Head of Wildlife Trade Monitoring, WWF Nepal, underlined the importance of legal documentation in combating wildlife crime. “Documentation is one of the important components that starts from crime scene to criminal and bring in legal procedure”, he said. He pointed out the vitality of connecting the dots with evidence, identifying the criminal and arresting them. Also, highlighted the custody management and respect of human rights. 

The program was inaugurated by lighting of the lamp by the chief guest Dr. Sindhu Prasad Dhungana, Director General of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) 

Dr. Dhungana emphasized that combating organized, and transnational wildlife crime requires integrated and joint efforts from government authorities as well as local and indigenous communities. Proper legal documentation from the crime scene through investigation and prosecution is essential for the legal process. This training will support and enhance the legal documentation process for wildlife crime control. 

Dr. Krishna Prasad Acharya, Secretary General, of SAWEN added that stakeholders involved in wildlife crime investigation from the five SAWEN member countries are brought together on one platform to learn about wildlife crime documentation and share best practices from each country. This training not only supports wildlife crime documentation but also fosters regional cooperation and collaboration in combating wildlife crime among member countries. 

The training is organized under the regional project "Countering Wildlife Trafficking in South Asia," with funding support from the US Government. The project aims to build on the knowledge and experience of enforcement officials in South Asian countries for curbing illegal wildlife trade and will strengthen the foundation for future cooperation and collaboration.

This workshop is funded by INL (Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs), Department of State, Government of US.
 
For any queries or more information, please contact  
Mr. Madhav Khadka at madhav.khadka@wwfnepal.org  (+977 9801048969)  
or Ms. Sneha Tamrakar at sneha.tamrakar@wwfnepal.org.