Jeneferlyn Yap

Status of Wildlife Trade in Palawan1 Jeneferlyn Yapa a MS Student, College of Sciences, Palawan State University Abstract Wildlife trade involves sale of wild plants and animals, whether dead or alive and in any forms which occurs both within national borders and across international territories.The demand for these wildlife resources as illegal products is usually based on their benefits. However, due to the depletion of such resources in neighboring countries, illegal poachers and traders have gone further afield nearby countries including the Philippines. Consequently, in 1990, the Philippines was identified as one of the 25 global hotspots for species threatened with extinction. In response to this growing concern, the DENR and PCSDS have exerted various efforts to abate such crimes as reflected in the improvement in the number of apprehensions involving wildlife trade.A total of 58 apprehensions were recorded in the Philippines in 2011 to 2012 while 35 apprehensions were conducted in Palawan from-.Most of the confiscated wildlife involved are marine turtles, pangolin, butterflies and birds. Nevertheless, challenges such as lack of enforcement personnel and political issues still affect the effective implementation of the law. In response, measures to improve the existing scenario are being carried out and intensified by concerned agencies with the end in view in refining and complementing existing efforts. Several points that are needed to be given emphasis include streamlining of activities relevant to the enforcement of wildlife-related law, rules and regulations, increasing enforcement visibility, enhancing capacity among field personnel and filing of case for prosecution. Keywords: freshwater ecosystem, brackishwater ecosystem, anthropogenic activities, biodiversity 1 Introduction As defined under Republic Act 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act, wildlife is any wild forms and varieties of flora and fauna, in all developmental stages, including those which are in captivity or are being bred and propagated.Wildlife species are often regarded for the array of benefits and values they provide which ranges from commercial, recreational, environmental, waste processing, aesthetic and scientific. Such utilization can be traced back to the primitive times when our ancestors used to hunt collectively wildlife especially in areas where agriculture was not readily available. Its uses were further promoted during the agricultural period wherein people by that time became more aware of the 1 A report submitted to Dr. Ronald Edilberto A. Ona in partial fulfillment of the course requirements in Contemporary Issues in Environment and Development for the second semester of SY-. J. Yap / Pal. State Univ. Jour. 1 - 51 numerous uses of the wildlife including its inedible parts. Today, despite decades of conservation efforts, illicit wildlife trade and trafficking has become one of the major issues that pose a threat to our resources. 1.1 Wildlife Trade Just like any other resources, wildlife significantly attracts money and investment to a community. Often than not, the monetary benefits of protecting these species are seldom measured, which makes it appear to have greater economic use than the other services it could provide.Wildlife trade involves the sale of wild plants and animals, whether dead or alive and in any forms which occur both within national borders and across international territories. The demand for these wildlife resources as illegal products is usually based on their benefits as food, traditional medicine, fuel, exotic pets, building materials, clothing, ornaments and as a status symbol in some communities(Bolton, 1997). Though there are wildlife species that are subject to legal trade, studies and assessments still show that significantly large quantities and volume of wildlife reportedly end up sold in the black markets of consumer countries such that of China, Japan, Thailand and Malaysia (Stiles). Most of the species that are subject to wildlife trade are endemic and rare wildlife species from the Philippines. A report published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2013) indicated that the depletion of the wildlife in neighboring countries of Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia have placed stress on the resources of the Philippines. This situation resulted in illegal poachers and traders going further afield nearby countries including the Philippines. Because of this, the Philippines and its flora and fauna is now facing a danger of extinction. This circumstance is evident with the notable decline in the number of populations of wildlife not only in the country but also across the world. Today, wildlife trade is considered as the second biggest direct threat to species survival, after habitat destruction (WWF, a,b). Aside from these, wildlife trade also brings harm to human livelihood, affect nature’s balance, introduces invasive species and increases chances of incidental killing of non-target species. The archipelagic country of the Philippines served as home for a variety of wildlife species. Its high level of endemism and biological diversity caters for at least one hundred five (105) known species of amphibians, five hundred eighty (580) species of birds, one hundred eighty three (183) species of land mammals, twenty thousand nine hundred forty (20, 940) species of insects, two hundred fifty eight (258) species of reptiles, and a total of sixteen thousand two hundred twenty three (16,223) species of flora. 52 J. Yap / Pal. State Univ. Jour. 1 - Sadly, though, in the midst of all these resources, the country was named in 1990 as one of the 25 global hot spots for species threatened with extinction. 1.2 State of Philippine Flora and Fauna The archipelagic country of the Philippines served as home for a variety of wildlife species. Its high level of endemism and biological diversity caters for at least one hundred five (105) known species of amphibians, five hundred eighty (580) species of birds, one hundred eighty three (183) species of land mammals, twenty thousand nine hundred forty (20, 940) species of insects, two hundred fifty eight (258) species of reptiles and a total of sixteen thousand two hundred twenty three (16,223) species of flora. Sadly, though, in the midst of all these resources, the country was named in 1990 as one of the 25 global hotspots for species threatened with extinction (DENR, 2010). 1.3 Objective of the Study This study aims to provide an overview of the present wildlife trade scenario in the Philippines with a particular focus on Palawan as a primary source of wildlife. Also, the paper discusses the salient features of the laws, regulations and efforts of government agencies in solving wildlife-related issues and concerns. 2 Results and Discussion Data acquired from concerned government agencies and institutions served as the basis of results of the study presented herein which covers the period from-. 2.1 In the Philippines The elements that decide the fate of our wildlife are reflected in and determined by our laws. Currently, efforts to abate these wildlife-related crimes are being carried out by the national government through its arm- the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. DENR is the lead agency in the country to implement and enforce the provisions provided under Republic Act 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act of 2002 (except in the province of Palawan wherein the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development is the lead agency to implement and enforce the provisions of Wildlife Act for all terrestrial and aquatic wildlife species). J. Yap / Pal. State Univ. Jour. 1 - 53 Being a megadiverse country and a hotspot area for wildlife trade, the Philippine flora and fauna are presently experiencing threats to the survival of its current population. To monitor and protect this species, the DENR has released its threatened list of wildlife species in the Philippines (DENR, 2014). In response to problems of wildlife trading, the DENR has conducted several operations to enforce the mandate of the Wildlife Act. DENR reports that from January 2011 to June 2012, there is a total of fifty-eight (58) wildlife confiscations and seizures. These confiscations and seizures involved two thousand seven hundred eighty-three (2,783) heads of various wild fauna. This number, among others, one hundred sixty-seven (167) pieces, twenty (20) boxes and two hundred forty-three point twenty seven (243.27) kilograms of assorted wildlife by-products and derivatives. A large percentage of these confiscations mostly involve species of reptiles which are mostly marine turtles. The summary of the report is presented in Figure 1. Figure 1: Number of wildlife confiscations recorded by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources from January 2011 to June 2012. At the regional level, a large portion of the wildlife confiscations were recorded from the National Capital Region (NCR) and the MIMAROPA region from- with 18 recorded forfeitures in NCR and 16 seizures in the MIMAROPA Region (Figure 2). Given the particular case for the province of Palawan, also included in this report are the data on the commonly-traded wildlife species as well as information on enforcement operations, apprehensions, and seizure involving wildlife species in the province. 54 J. Yap / Pal. State Univ. Jour. 1 - Figure 2: Cases of illegal wildlife trade per region in the Philippines. In the province alone, a total of fifty-nine (59) poaching incidents were recorded from 2001 until 2013 - nineteen (19) incidents of which were reported to involve the confiscations of wildlife (Figures 3 and 4). To add, most of these poaching incidents include Chinese (60%), Vietnamese (36%) and Malaysian (4%) nationals. 2.2 Government Efforts A Memorandum of Agreement between the DENR and Bureau of Customs was carried out in the supervision and control of exports, imports, foreign mail cargoes and clearance of all vessels or aircraft in all ports of the country. In support of the international community, the Philippines became a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) on November 16, 1981, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. This convention is presently the largest wildlife conservation agreement to combat illegal trade in wildlife. Since its entry into the convention, the Philippines had a total export of 29,779,416.53 wildlife species, its by-products and derivatives measured in either piece, grams, kilograms, milliliter, meter, pairs, set, flasks and boxes that were traded legally. 2.3 Challenges The full implementation of laws and regulations to abate wildlife trading in the Philippines are usually affected by several factors and challenges—be it J. Yap / Pal. State Univ. Jour. 1 - 55 Figure 3: Number of mostly collected or traded wildlife in the province of Palawan from 2002 to 2013. internal or external. Most of the enforcement agencies suffer from lack of personnel in the field. The number of law enforcers usually cannot entirely provide for the needs in enforcing the laws which result to inefficient monitoring. Sometimes there is also inadequacy concerning financial and logistics support. This deficiency usually leads to the failure of the enforcers to respond to reports and to conduct enforcement operations on far-flung and inaccessible areas. Lapses in enforcement sometimes depend on the discretion of inspection personnel regarding species identification. There is a problem in determining what kind of wildlife species (including its conservation status) they are dealing with, the proper ways on how to conduct arrest and seizure and appropriate wildlife handling and tagging. The capacity and technical skills are highly needed especially for the enforcers in the field. As a result, enforcers fall short in performance concerning identifying species and are mostly uncertain in categorizing them as threatened or non-threatened. This inability often leads to misidentification and misrepresentation of information on seizure receipts, apprehension reports, and inspection reports. Paralegal and Wildlife Enforcement Officers (WEO) training are conducted so as to update the skills and capacities of inspection personnel continuously. Some of the external factors affecting enforcement of laws against wildlife trade are political pressures and interventions, lack of political will on the part of the government officials, the involvement of local officials in illegal activities, corrupt practices, departmentalized concept of implementation 56 J. Yap / Pal. State Univ. Jour. 1 - Figure 4: Number of apprehensions involving wildlife species in Palawan from 2010 to 2014. and weak public participation. More often, this ends up in the weak prosecution of cases. 2.4 Best Practices To bridge the gap between the challenges stated above, government agencies are employing several strategies and programs as the solution. To respond to the problem of the lack of personnel, the DENR and PCSDS are deputizing WEO under Section 30 of Republic Act 9147(Palawan Council for Sustainable Development). Some of the functions given to a deputized Wildlife Enforcement Officer are to seize illegally collected, possessed and traded wildlife, to effect a valid warrantless arrest and to assist in the conduct of surveillance and monitoring activities. Strengthening enforcers on the community level were also seen as an effective strategy especially regarding monitoring and investigation on the community level (Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, 2012). 3 Conclusion The data from the past years showed that there is a continued decline in the population of these florae and fauna. This decrease can be partly attributed to the rapidly increasing problem of the trade of wildlife. The demand for such, especially for medicinal, commercial and recreational purposes, has placed an enormous threat to these resources, aggravated J. Yap / Pal. State Univ. Jour. 1 - 57 further by internal and external challenges and concerns. These include issues such as lack of personnel, logistic and financial support, lack of capacity and skills on the part of the enforcers, and corrupt administrative and political practices. There is still much work to do when it comes to the improvement of the current policies governing the regulation and monitoring of the trade in wildlife. Nevertheless, the following points are at this moment recommended: 1. The national government should outline more activities relevant to enforcing wildlife-related laws and regulations; 2. Establish visibility in strategic airports and seaports in the whole country; 3. Conduct more activities aimed to enhance the capacity and technical skills of existing enforcement personnel in the field; 4. Serious implementation of the law through consistent filing and prosecution of cases in proper court; 5. Intensify support for livelihood programs in order to provide substitute employment to persons involved in illegal wildlife trade. Literature Cited Bolton, M. (1997). Conservation and the use of wildlife resources, volume 8. Springer Science & Business Media. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. List of contracting parties. https://goo.gl/VqV47G. (Retrieved on 12/22/2016). DENR (2010). Memorandum circular no. 2010 17 adopting the Wildlife Law Enforcement Manual of Operations as guide in the enforcement of Republic Act No. 9147. http://goo.gl/6KS4TB. (Retrieved on 12/22/2016). DENR (2014). Status of Philippine Biodiversity. http://goo.gl/nxuNBu. (Retrieved on 12/22/2016). Palawan Council for Sustainable Development. Sep learnings for enforcement. Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (2012). Palawan Council for Sustainable Development accomplishment report. http://goo.gl/ lDFAIF. (Retrieved on 12/22/2016). 58 J. Yap / Pal. State Univ. Jour. 1 - Stiles, D. An assessment of the illegal ivory trade in viet nam. TRAFFIC. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2013). Transnational organized crime in East Asia and the Pacific: a threat assessment. https://goo. gl/8d8mcd. (Retrieved on 12/22/2016). WWF. Unsustainable and illegal wildlife trade. http://goo.gl/cB2rNe. (Retrieved on 12/22/2016). WWF. Wildlife crime initiative. http://goo.gl/y5I2dS. (Retrieved on 12/22/2016).