The purpose of this project is to address the Africa-Asia wildlife trafficking nexus, a direct threat causing loss of species in Africa. While the majority of illegal shipments from Africa are headed for China, smugglers use several transit countries to avoid detection. Cambodia is recognized by CITES as an important transit hub for high value wildlife products from Africa to China. To counter this problem, Wildlife Alliance has conducted a series of counter-wildlife trafficking trainings for Cambodian Customs at international ports. Although significant improvements continue to be made in the wildlife law enforcement practices of Cambodian Customs, a significant gap remains: lack of post-seizure investigations and arrests. Specific activities will include: (1) reaching to the countries of origin (Angola, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Uganda) and (2) to neighboring country Vietnam, which is a key link in investigations because Ho Chi Min Customs have recently intercepted shipments from Africa destined for Cambodia; in addition, several Cambodian ivory importing companies are owned by Vietnamese nationals.
Countering Wildlife Trafficking through Transcontinental Collaboration Across the African-Asian Nexus
