Intel unit to help curb illegal wildlife trade

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In: South-East Asia

16 October 2023 at 18:49 PUBLISHED

Intel unit to help curb illegal wildlife trade
At a policeman media briefing on January 12, 2018, elephant ivory valued at 15 million baht will be on display. The 31 bits of bone were thought to have been brought into Thailand illegally by Nigerian wildlife traders. Apichart Jinakul( picture )

To assist in putting an end to the illegal trade in wildlife, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation ( DNP ) has established an intelligence unit.

The opening ceremony for the new Wildlife Crime Intelligence Unit( WCU) was presided over by Noppadol Pholsen, minister to Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Phatcharavat Wongsuwan.

According to Mr. Noppadol, the Illegal Wildlife Trade Project, a five-year initiative to overcome the illegal wildlife trade that focuses on cats, pangolins, rhino horn, and ivory, is funding the WCU.

According to him, the WCU is even supported by the Wildlife Conservation Society and the United Nations Development Programme.

According to Mr. Noppadol, the unit gathers animals data, which is usually more complex and challenging to analyze, using” I2″ database systems and software to strengthen the intelligence system.

The program aids in data visualization and interpretation to aid authorities in their investigation of the business. According to him, it is also helpful for wildlife officials to map the connections between poachers and their communications equipment, as well as the area’s well-known locations and regional data.

The” I2″ database at the WCU is now fully operational.

80 garden officers have received training from the DNP, which is in charge of the WCU, to use the database, and they will collaborate strongly with the organization.

According to Mr. Noppadol, the WCU is also in charge of offering teaching materials to the specific working group for the DNP’s animals police network. In order to share information on the repression of the animals industry, the WCU also collaborates with different organizations. & nbsp,

According to Mr. Noppadol, since Pol Gen Phatcharavat took over as chancellor, he has pushed for the enforcement of laws relating to jungle and wildlife tools.

The Wild Animal Conservation and Protection Act 2019, which was updated to include penalties for owning, buying, importing, and exporting protected animals prizes, is enforced by the DNP.

According to him, Thailand has even joined a convention on vegetation and wildlife to intensify anti-trade steps.