Bangkok - Recent crackdowns on illegal trade in endangered species has demonstrated a growing level of cooperation among South-East Asian authorities to protect the region's biodiversity, the ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN) claimed Wednesday. According to ASEAN-WEN, a cross-border enforcement network that has been in operation since 2005, there were five major crackdowns on illicit trade in endangered species this month in South-East Asia.
"Indonesian officials, fresh from an intensive three week ASEAN-WEN Network Investigation Course in Bogor, West Java, led the way with major busts that will send a clear message to other wildlife traffickers in the region," said ASEAN-WEN in a statement.
On March 3 Indonesian Police intercepted a shipment of 3,500 Green Turtles eggs being smuggled by motorboat on a river in Derawan Island, East Kalimantan.
"Responding to a tipoff, a police officer and trainee from the ASEAN-WEN training course made the seizure," said the network.
The Green Turtle is listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and is protected under CITES Appendix I.
ASEAN-WEN was first suggested at the 13th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES) in October 2004, and launched by ASEAN member countries on December 1, 2005 at an official meeting in Bangkok.
The network provides training to law enforcement agencies in the ASEAN region, and facilitates information sharing in cracking down on the regional wildlife trade.
Other ASEAN-WEN successes this month included Indonesian Customs halting a shipment of 23,000 dried seahorses destined for South Korea on March 10, Vietnam's intercepting 17 tons pangolins being smuggled from Indonesia to China on March 6, the Philippines Department of Environment and Natural Resources raid on pet shops in Pasay City's Cartimar market, confiscating 94 protected species on March 10, and Thai Authorities' detention of a Russian man when they found 20 live baby slow loris packed in cardboard boxes in his baggage, as well as 25 fly river turtles and 30 small monitor lizards, on March 14.
The Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
