Numerous challenges still impede effective law enforcement, including poor coordination among agencies, limited human capital and financial resources, and uneven distribution of detection technology at ports-of-entry. INTERPRETATION. Eight states led by New York and numerous conservation groups including Audubon have challenged the 2017 decision in U.S. District Court. NOAA remains engaged with the Department-led interagency Working Group on Combating Conservation Crimes, including exploring areas of convergence across crimes related to the use of natural resources, to improve sharing of information/intelligence across agencies, and to be more strategic in addressing conservation crimes. Quarterly meetings of the Task Force agencies at the working level allow us to update progress, share lessons learned, and develop new lines of concerted effort. DoJ participates in international partnerships and networks that promote effective prosecution of transnational environmental crimes, such as INTERPOL’s environmental crimes working groups, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Experts Group on Illegal Logging and Associated Trade, and a UNODC Working Group established to develop and provide prosecutorial and legislative guidance for combating wildlife crime. Federal courts have been split on whether companies can be prosecuted, with appeals courts ruling in favor of industry three times and siding against companies twice. Not quite a decade after agreeing whitebark pines were a species in need of Endangered Species Act protection, the U.S. 5. USAID support for training and equipping law enforcement personnel and incentivizing communities is having a positive impact on rhino populations. It was the only major legislation concerned with wildlife that was passed in … Those priorities and objectives are subject to further refinement in light of continuing progress and lessons learned from our ongoing efforts, as well as the country-specific assessments and strategic reviews required by section 301 of the END Act. August 4, 2020. In 2018, the National Wildlife Federation, along with a coalition of environmental groups, jointly sued the U.S. Along with partners and financial institutions, USAID supported TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, to establish the Financial Institution Expert Group and Task Force on Illegal Wildlife Trade, which has produced products to detect and report wildlife crime offenders who exploit financial systems for illicit trade. The U.S. instructors also conducted several team building exercises focused on enhancing interagency collaboration and understanding of each components’ respective roles and responsibilities at Mongolian borders and ports of entry, as well as better understanding of Mongolia’s anti-trafficking laws. Third, DNI advanced its effort to institutionalize and scale the IC convergence study’s successful cross-cutting methodology for characterizing criminal networks. References in Text. This bipartisan … An official website of the United States government, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, Office of the U.S. 1 - Short Title 2 - Interpretation and Application 2.1 - Her Majesty 3 - Powers, Duties and Functions of the Minister 5 - Agreements 8 - Endangered Wildlife 9 - Acquisition of Lands 10 - General 13 - Offences and Punishment 19 - Ticketable Offences Related Information. In Vietnam, USAID collaborated with the Supreme People’s Procuracy (SPP) to develop a manual on wildlife crime prosecutions, which is being used as a training resource. The bill’s titles are written by its sponsor. Matthew Brown, Associated Press This coordination along with recommendations for the establishment of a CITES Enforcement Network and a funding mechanism for implementing the finalized strategy are the blueprints for initiating a West Africa CWT Strategy, to be submitted to the ECOWAS Commission in 2019. National and international diplomatic pressure was mentioned as effective in elevating wildlife trafficking as a priority in Focus Countries. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), USAID’s support strengthened CWT programs by providing training, equipment, and logistical support for 1,099 rangers across six protected areas, resulting in 277,586 kilometers patrolled, a 25 percent increase compared to the previous year. We remain mindful of the ongoing need to evaluate the effectiveness of the steps we are taking to combat wildlife trafficking, both at the project level and more broadly, and to develop, as and where practicable and useful, metrics to guide that process. 114-231) (the “END Act”) directs the Presidential Task Force on Wildlife Trafficking (“Task Force”) to submit an annual strategic review and assessment of […] Jun 29, 2017. 55, 48 Stat. READ MORE: 3 billion fewer wild birds soar the skies than in 1970, study finds. Amendments Not In Force; Regulations made under this Act The CTAC brings together key federal agencies with safety regulation oversight of imports into the United States, as well as agencies like HSI and USFWS with authority to enforce import violations. At the 2018 London Conference on wildlife trafficking, then-Attorney General Sessions led the U.S. delegation and delivered a high-profile statement that was well received. the National Wildlife Refuge System Volunteer and Community Partnership Enhancement Act of 1998 (16 U.S.C. In addition to these efforts, OFAC supports members of the law enforcement community that investigate and trace illicit proceeds of wildlife trafficking and ivory poaching, including through a MoU that provides Bank Secrecy Act data (suspicious activity, currency transaction, and other reporting) access to the DoI, Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement. Mail With 2016 being the 30th anniversary of the regulations, Mr. Young will discuss the statutory history and possible future of these regulations from his perspective as an attorney with the Department of Interior. Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows: SHORT TITLE. USAID’s support to these national leaders provided students opportunities to learn from conservation professionals. Weekly calls with the Department of State, the Department of Justice (DoJ), the U.S. A common consideration is that wildlife trafficking solutions must be carefully adapted to the local context by collaborating with stakeholders to develop relevant approaches. Treasury continues to engage with the interagency, civil society, and international partners to enhance information sharing on wildlife trafficking. FWS, Statistical Data Tables for Fish & Wildlife … For example, funding provided Morocco with a “CITES 101” training to customs officers and delivered technical assistance in the development of processes and protocols for implementing CITES. Through the Task Force, efforts and activities are better coordinated across the USG:  efficiencies are being identified and exploited, redundancies eliminated, and resources used more strategically; international outreach continues to expand; and improved intelligence identified new areas of work. For example, 10,000 trade profiles were added to a database that financial institutions can use to screen clients for wildlife crime connections. The United States is currently working with Interregional Coordination Center in Yaounde, Cameroon, to develop a long-term cooperation and training strategy that will guide the capacity-building activities in the Gulf of Guinea region for countering IUU fishing. “On Monday, August 12, the U.S. Dec 16 Some fish species are also protected under NSW legislation. Senate. A NOAA OLE agent examined approximately 100 Aqua SD sales invoices, which listed coral as the item being sold and compared them to UPS invoices with the same dates and customer names showing shipments labeled as ‘ceramic collectibles’ from the business to foreign customers. 3701 note The Act also addresses the commercial fishing industry, the rights of citizens to fish … The ACE Act took an important step in the battle against Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) by establishing a task force within the U.S. As noted for Bangladesh, Nepal, Zambia and Zimbabwe, communities can be a first line of defense against illegal wildlife trade when they are sufficiently motivated, trained, and equipped. NOAA actively participates in INTERPOL’s Global Fisheries Enforcement program, which supports member countries in identifying, deterring, and disrupting trafficking of protected marine products. Services . Through the federal budget and appropriations process, the National Wildlife Federation also secures funding for robust programs to ensure Clean Water Act and Farm Bill safeguards that protect wetlands, headwaters, and riparian areas. In an important ivory trade route, 67 Zambian and 112 Malawian rangers and wildlife officials were trained on improved CWT practices. Overall, Focus Countries responded positively to the initial 2017 Report and worked with U.S. missions to produce the assessments and strategic plans. Jun 29, 2017. Domestic prosecution of wildlife trafficking requires close collaboration, as the DoJ prosecutes cases investigated by its partner agencies such as USFWS, NOAA, Coast Guard, and HSI. “We believe this is the only viable alternative in line with this legal conclusion,” the agency said in a statement. In Kenya, USAID supported more than 870 community conservancy rangers, including the training of 37 at the Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) Law Enforcement Academy, which improved anti-poaching efforts, increased joint community-government patrols, and generally promoted closer collaboration between community conservancies and KWS. OES efforts to highlight the importance of CWT actions in multiple fora, spurred Peru to offer to host the first regional conference on combating wildlife trafficking, which will take place in October. Analysis of the assessments found that most missions identified corruption and high demand for wildlife and wildlife products as primary drivers of wildlife trafficking, but with relevant regional differences. In 2018, USAID collected lessons about what works best to build capacity for enforcement and prosecution, turning 49 contributions into 12 published case studies that were shared at a learning exchange in South Africa. At the Kenya Wildlife Service forensics lab, under the USAID funded Partnership for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER), DNA sequencing is being used to quickly match elephant dung to ivory recovered in search and seizure operations. Prosecution of traffickers in U.S. courts is one of the most effective of the Task Force agencies’ enforcement activities. INL, in partnership with two NGOs, Panthera and Rimba, organized a wildlife crime training, which directly led to the milestone conviction of two Vietnamese poachers who pled guilty in Malaysia to 20 counts of illegal use of snares and possession of skins, claws, and fangs. A large majority of missions stated that wildlife trafficking was known or suspected to converge with other serious crimes, the most common being drug smuggling. BILLINGS, Mont. NOAA OLE investigative efforts in 2018 resulted, in May, in the criminal conviction of a former CBP agent in a trafficking case involving the illegal importation of CITES-protected coral into the United States. The National Strategy recognizes that, as we work to strengthen enforcement, we must also reduce demand among consumers at home and abroad. In cooperation with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York, a multi-count felony indictment was handed down in May 2019, for conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act, money laundering, and narcotics violations. The Department of Treasury prioritizes enhanced partnership among enforcement and intelligence agencies, bringing to bear its unique authorities to reduce and track the illicit proceeds generated by wildlife trafficking, and pairing work against wildlife trafficking with other initiatives against regional armed groups and transnational organized crime. NOAA also serves on the Executive Board of the Fisheries Crime Working Group. This encourages and fosters new and expanding partnerships between and among agencies, effectively leveraging our whole-of-government approach. Sharing CWT programming success that includes adaptive management strengthens the global community effort. ROUTES also developed an app for luggage, cargo and passenger screeners to report wildlife crime and other suspicious observations to law enforcement. Yellowstone National Park, the nation's first and for many years only national park, was founded in_____. Under this initiative, OES spearheads an interagency effort to tackle financial crimes and money laundering associated with wildlife crime – through policy approaches, capacity building and training, and working with the financial sector. These grants, WCS works to enhance implementation of CITES in Southeast.. 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