What is SAWEN?
SAWEN is a network aimed at working as a strong regional inter governmental body for combating wildlife crime by attempting common goals and approaches for combating illegal trade in South Asia.
South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN) provides a platform for its member countries to cooperatively work together in the fight against the burgeoning wildlife crime.
Why SAWEN was established?
Wildlife crime has emerged as one of the greatest threats to the survival of many wildlife species in South Asia as well as across the globe.
This organized crime involving multi-billion dollars is highly trans-national and remains flourishing as a result of weak legal framework and/or lax enforcement in the source, transit and destination countries.
Curbing the wildlife crime demands well coordinated multi-agency and multi-country efforts with high level of commitment and advancement.
What are the focus areas of SAWEN?
It focuses on harmonization of policies and laws; strengthening institutional capacity; sharing of knowledge, experiences and technologies among the member countries; and promoting collaboration with national, regional and international partners to enhance the wildlife law enforcement in the region.
Which countries are members of SAWEN?
It comprises of eight countries in South Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
What are the objectives of SAWEN?
1 . To take initiatives for bringing harmonization and standardization in laws and policies of member countries concerning conservation of fauna and flora.
2 . To document the trend of poaching and illegal trade, and related threats to the natural biodiversity within and across countries in the region.
3 . To strengthen institutional responses to combat wildlife crime by promoting research and information sharing, training and capacity building, technical support, sharing experiences and outreach.
4 . To encourage member countries to prepare and implement their National Action Plans in curbing wildlife crime and to collaborate towards effective implementation.
Conclusion
The South Asia region is very vulnerable to illegal traffic and wildlife crimes due to presence of precious biodiversity and large markets as well as traffic routes for wildlife products in the south East Asian region. The collaboration in harmonising as well as enforcing the wildlife protection in the region is considered very important for effective conservation of such precious biodiversity.
