Wildlife Enforcement in China LEGISLATION, ORGANIZATION, ENFORCEMENT MEASURE, SUCCESS, CHALLENGE, PROBLEM& LESSON LEARNT

Wildlife Enforcement in China LEGISLATION, ORGANIZATION, ENFORCEMENT MEASURE, SUCCESS, CHALLENGE, PROBLEM& LESSON LEARNT

LEGISLATION Law on Wild Animal Conservation Regulation on Wild Plant Conservation Regulation on Endangered Species Imp. & Exp. Management Customs Law Criminal Law Judicial Interpretations Smuggling of wildlife Illegal hunting/catching, purchase, transport and sale of wildlife Measurement of penalty Value standard for wildlife products in a case

PROVISION & PENALIZATION Prohibit commercial trade in national key protected animals and plants, including CITES I/II species The maximum penalization to wildlife offender is life imprisonment, concurrently with a confiscation of personal property

ENFORCEMENT ORGANS Customs Police 10,000 Customs policemen Investigate smuggling of wildlife Forest Police 70,000 forest policemen Investigate all kinds of wildlife crime Wildlife Authorities Investigate civil wildlife case CITES Management Authority Co-ordinate the CITES enforcement in China

Measures Addressing Wildlife Crime Use risk assessment, x-ray, container scanner, undercover investigation and controlled delivery to combat wildlife crime on a daily basis Launch Inter-agency CITES Enforcement Coordination Group (NICECG/CHINA-WEN) Organize joint meetings to address wildlife crime Enact or revise the laws, regulations and judicial interpretations Organize national and provincial operations Establish the forensic labs to support wildlife enforcement Provide trainings to enforcement agencies and traders

Measures Addressing Wildlife Crime Compile enforcement manuals and ID sheets Collect, analise and share wildlife seizure, and develop national strategy to address wildlife crime Carry out public education by media, on internet or at markets, ports, embassies and companies Strengthen the international cooperation Participate in the international operations Attend, organize and host the international and regional meetings, workshops and training seminars Organize the trans-national operation, such as Operation Cobra Communicate with international & regional IGOs and parties Share intelligence and seizure information with IGOs and Parties Undertake follow-up investigations and controlled delivery

SUCCESS The Chinese Customs police makes up to 1,000 wildlife seizures each year The Chinese forest police detects up to 20,000 wildlife cases each year 10% of wildlife offends are prosecuted as criminal crime

Challenges High demand Tradition for consuming wildlife as food and medicines Huge human population Rapid national economic growth Long border Lacking of resources and capacity

PROBLEM Few staff with excellent English and international cooperation experience Reluctant to share real time seizure information and intelligence due to workload and language restriction; Follow-up investigation and controlled delivery are not widely used; Difficult to handle the wildlife case involving the exotic specimens; Lack qualified forensic labs; No incentives to the detection of wildlife cases;

LESSONS LEARNT Raise CITES awareness among enforcement officers by offering trainings and organizing joint meetings; Issue alert to and ask for information from the enforcement agencies; Provide technical assistances to enforcement agencies; Make the CITES officers and enforcement officers rely on each other

LESSONS LEARNT Take advantage of NGO s expertise, resources and information to support training, education and intelligence gathering activities Encourage the wildlife enforcement agencies to share real time significant seizure information, scanned documents and pictures of contraband items and other intelligence with CITES officers and their foreign counterparts for follow-up investigation; Encourage the use of sniff dog, covert investigation and controlled delivery

RECOMMENDATIONS The international community should assess the situation of global wildlife and forest crime and its trend on a scientific basis, and develop a comprehensive global strategy to address it The international community should support the source countries to prevent the protected species from poaching and entering into the illegal trade by improving the livelihood of local communities and the capacity of governance and enforcement The international community should encourage the countries to take effective measures to combat the wildlife and forest crime by increasing investment of resources, strengthening the capacity building, enhancing the supervision and investigation and conducting international cooperation The international organizations, such as ICCWC and its member organizations and/or the regional wildlife enforcement networks, should play their roles in coordinating, organizing and assisting the member states to combat the illegal cross border wildlife trade by providing trainings, facilitating the communications and organizing the international/regional operations

Thank you very much for your attention