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Campaign Against Wildlife Trafficking at Suvarnabhumi Airport

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Campaign Against Wildlife Trafficking at Suvarnabhumi Airport

Suvarnabhumi Airport and Thai Environmental Agencies Campaign Against Wildlife Trafficking

(Bangkok, March 9, 2009) – Thailand’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) has partnered with the Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited (AOT) to launch a joint campaign to stop wildlife trafficking.

The “Wildlife Trafficking Stops Here” campaign at Suvarnabhumi Airport, one of Asia’s busiest transport hubs, will train an unprecedented 250 airport workers to combat wildlife trafficking.  The drive includes the broadcast of anti-trafficking messages on monitors above each check-in counter in the airport’s Departure Hall and posting of placards urging arriving travelers not to buy endangered species.

Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) is joining AOT and MONRE to help conduct the campaign through its association with the ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN), the largest regional environmental law enforcement network in the world.

“Illegal wildlife trade is a serious global issue.  Thailand stands strong against illegal wildlife trade,” said MONRE Minister Suwit Khunkitti at today’s launch of the campaign.

“Criminal networks are involved in the illegal trafficking of wildlife throughout the world, so international cooperation is needed to stop this problem,” Minister Suwit added, noting that this new campaign intends to strengthen environmental law enforcement in Thailand and the region and build public awareness to stop wildlife trafficking. 

In addition to airport staff attending the course on Wildlife Trade Regulation, members of the Thai Department of Fisheries, Department of Agriculture, Department of Livestock Development, and freight forwarding companies will also receive training on how to identify and handle commonly traded protected species, as well as enforce national and international laws governing the illegal wildlife trade.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Department of State support ASEAN-WEN’s efforts to stop wildlife trafficking in Southeast Asia through funding and technical assistance.

For more information, please contact:
Ms. Klairoong Poonpon, Thai Government Liaison Officer
ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network Program Coordination Unit
E-mail: klairoong@asean-wen.org; Mobile: +66 8 9686-9760

Editor’s Note:

1. ASEAN-WEN is the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Wildlife Enforcement Network. It involves environmental, law enforcement and customs agencies in all 10 ASEAN countries and facilitates cross-border collaboration in the fight against illegal wildlife trade in the region.  Launched on December 1, 2005, in Bangkok, it is now the world’s largest wildlife enforcement network.

2. Thai-WEN is the National Task Force Wildlife Enforcement Network in Thailand, which is comprised of the Royal Thai Police (Natural Resources and Environmental Crimes Division), Department of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (Wildlife Fauna and Flora Conservation Division) and Royal Thai Customs.

3. Two international non-governmental organizations, FREELAND Foundation (formerly PeunPa) and TRAFFIC, via a cooperative partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), provide technical assistance to government agencies implementing ASEAN-WEN.

4. The ASEAN-WEN Program Coordination Unit has released a detailed update and statistical summary of major interdictions against illegal wildlife trade by Southeast Asian law enforcement authorities from July to December 2008, available from the ASEAN-WEN website (www.asean-wen.org).

For more information visit the ASEAN-WEN website (www.asean-wen.org)