(BN) Brunei workshop on wildlife trade

[Guest guest]

http://www.brunei-online.com/bb/fri/may2h10.htm

Wildlife trade regulation workshop concludes

By P Marilyn

Dr David Lawson delivering his closing remarks.

Group photo of participants, speakers and guest of honour. - PHOTOS: P

MARILYNThe three-day workshop on Wildlife Trade Regulation, the first ever

hosted in the nation by the Department of Agriculture and TRAFFIC Southeast

Asia, came to a close yesterday with the presentation of certificates to the

participants.

 

The participants comprised enforcement officers from the Royal Brunei Police

Force, Royal Brunei Customs & Excise and officers from government

departments - Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries and Museums.

 

Present as the guest of honour to present the certificates of participation

was Acting Director of the Department of Agriculture cum chairperson of the

event and Brunei National CITES Management Authority, Puan Hjh Normah Suria

Hayati Pehin Jawatan Dalam Seri Maharaja Dato Seri Utama Dr Hj Awg Mohd

Jamil Al-Sufri.

 

The three-day workshop was held to help enhance participants' knowledge and

awareness on tackling organised poaching and trafficking of wild animals and

plants in Southeast Asia.

 

The focus of the workshop was on basic implementation and enforcement of

CITES and the national wildlife legislation (Wild Fauna and Flora Order

2007), the smuggling of wildlife plus identification of species commonly

traded in Southeast Asia.

 

In delivering his closing remarks, Dr David Lawson, from TRAFFIC IUCN

Regional Office and ASEAN-WEN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations

Wildlife Enforcement Network) Support Programme, put forward several

recommendations in raising awareness on endangered species of wild fauna and

flora.

 

One of the recommendations was placing a sign in airplanes - in this case,

Brunei's National Carrier, Royal Brunei Airlines - to increase public's

knowledge on the consequences of poaching and trafficking of wild animals

and plants in and out of Brunei.

 

" Royal Brunei Airlines can be the first, as no other airlines has initiated

this, " said Dr Lawson.

 

He also put forward the idea to integrate this awareness into school

curriculum to educate children from a young age.

 

Dr Lawson sees this as a 'remarkably effective' approach as children have a

major influence on their parents.

 

He also highlighted the need for all task force within the country to work

together in tackling the problem.

 

On the issue of training, Dr Lawson said that ASEAN-WEN has gathered all

training materials on wildlife termed 'Training Management Packages' to be

distributed free of charge to member countries and training institutions

within member countries.

 

Brunei Darussalam became a member of CITES (Convention on International

Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) in 1990 and the

Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources, is

the nation's Management Authority for CITES.

 

The three-day workshop was also part of a series of training programmes

under the umbrella of the ASEAN-WEN initiative to increase wildlife law

enforcement capacity throughout the region.

 

The workshop was held at the Orchid Garden Hotel.