ONE YEAR ON: MALAWI’S FIGHT AGAINST WILDLIFE CRIME

The first ever World Wildlife Day was held in March 2014.  We look back on some of the highlights in Malawi’s fight against wildlife crime led by the Department of National Parks & Wildlife…

1.      ‘Stop Wildlife Crime.  Protect Malawi’s Wildlife’ campaign launched in partnership with Lilongwe Wildlife Trust.  Funded by Foreign & Commonwealth Office.

2.      7000+ signature petition to say no to ivory in Malawi.

3.      Inter-Agency Committee to Combat Wildlife Crime (IACCWC) established with representation from MPS, DNPW, ACB, FIU, MRA, Department of Forestry, NIB, MDF and Interpol.

4.      Illegal Wildlife Trade Assessment completed for Malawi in accordance with the UNODC Toolkit on Wildlife and Forest Crime.  Funded by GIZ and run in partnership with Lilongwe Wildlife Trust, Born Free Foundation and the Environmental Law Project.

5.      Legal review of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 2004 underway to strengthen penalties and appraise compliance with the CITES Legislation Project.  Undertaken as part of  the illegal wildlife trade assessment.

6.      Wildlife Policy Review in progress. Funded by UNDP GEF.

7.      Law enforcement and judiciary sensitisation and capacity building commenced.  Supported and undertaken by IFAW, USFWS, WESM and RSPCA through DEFRA/DFID Challenge Fund grant.

8.      National Elephant Action Plan in progress in line with the Elephant Protection Initiative (EPI).  Supported by Stop Ivory.  Lilongwe Wildlife Trust appointed by the Government as a key technical advisor alongside Wildlife Conservation Society and RSPCA.

9.      Record sentences handed out to poachers and wildlife traffickers including custodial sentences and maximum fines. Including elephant poaching, ivory trafficking and even record sentences for non endangered species.

10.  Moratorium on the domestic trade in ivory in Malawi enforced in Sept 2014 as part of Malawi’s commitment to the Global Clinton Initiative.

11.  Ivory inventory completed in accordance with CITES requirements and as part of the EPI. Supported by Stop Ivory.