10.6 Northern Wildlife Enforcement Network

Presentation Title: Northern Wildlife Enforcement Network – Background, Challenges, Opportunities and Next Steps
Summary: The Wildlife Enforcement Network (WEN) is a regional, intergovernmental law-enforcement network designed to combat illegal wildlife trade. The WEN facilitates a proactive, collective response by countries to wildlife crime, providing a mechanism for countries to share experience and intelligence, best practices, and a means to collectively build capacity and coordinate joint enforcement operations. A background on the Northern WEN is provided from its beginnings in 2013 until today. Similar issues and challenges of Arctic countries are: increasing tourism with cruise ships; north-south trade routes; “Northern” issues in common that go beyond “Arctic” (e.g., species smuggling, illegal harvesting of timber and poaching); invasive species; and a lack of communication and coordination to effectively investigate and prosecute offenders. Opportunities include: expanding the scope beyond Arctic species; encouraging and enhancing the transmission of law enforcement information between parties; improving traceability of Northern species in trade; and sharing of best practices. Examples of information that could be shared are: enforcement information to support wildlife enforcement operations; key points of contact for each country; legislation related to Arctic species and best practices documents. The next Northern WEN discussion/ meeting may be planned during the 70th Meeting of the CITES Standing Committee in Sochi, Russia in October 2018. In the meantime discussions, among law enforcement authorities should continue and it may be interesting to include other agencies such as customs.