KATHMANDU, February 8, 2015 (TSR-BERNAMA) – Thirteen Asian countries, including Malaysia, have vowed to collaborate and act in a more concerted and collective manner, in the fight against wildlife poaching in Asia.
They expressed their determination to make ‘zero poaching’ in Asia, in a symposium held here from Feb 2-6, in which representatives from Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, China, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Russia, Nepal, India and Bhutan participated, the Nepalese Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) said, in a statement.
The symposium concluded yesterday (Friday), with the adoption of a five-point declaration, expressing strong resolve to cooperate and work collectively, to save wildlife and fight against poaching, the statement said.
Among other things, the five point declaration calls for effective anti-poaching initiatives, at both national and international levels; strengthening international cooperation; adoption of the Zero Poaching Tool Kit and assessment of current anti-poaching responses; increased collaboration among diverse number of stakeholders and training and supporting rangers, other frontline staff and prosecutors.
“We cannot allow wildlife crime to continue to wrap its tentacles deeper into the region. Our individual efforts may win us a few battles, but we can only win the war, only if Asia presents a united front, to stop the poaching, end the trafficking and wipe out demand,” DNPWC director, Tika Ram Adhikar, told Bernama.
DNPWC, Worldwide Fund for Nature, Global Tiger Forum, National Trust for Nature Conservation and the South Asian Wildlife Enforcement Network, jointly hosted the symposium, in partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN), UN Office on Drugs and Crime, US Department of Justice, SMART Partnership and Southern African Wildlife College.
