PAW - The Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime
FES is a member of PAW and share mutual objectives. It is a sad fact that wildlife crime is the world's third largest crime - and creates only less revenue than gun running and drug smuggling. FES believes that by stopping the cycles of wildlife crime, we can severely hurt poaching and other criminal activities that threaten many species with extinction.
Andy Mydellton has attended many PAW meetings and has given a presentation to the assembly, explaining the NGO perspective to the Partnership.
PAW brings together the Police, HM Revenue and Customs, Government Department representatives and voluntary bodies, with an interest in wildlife law enforcement. The Partnership continually develops its strategy and activities of law enforcement.
Another objective is, and one that FES plays an important part in, is to draw attention to the growing problem of wildlife crime and to raise awareness of the need for tough enforcement action.
Wildlife crime appears in many guises, but can be loosely categorised into three main types:
a) the illegal trade in endangered species;
The import and export of many threatened species is controlled through European Regulations implementing the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). More information can be found at www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/wildlife/trade-crime/cites and also at www.defra.gov.uk/animalhealth/CITES/ .
Internal trade in these species is controlled by the Control of Trade in Endangered Species (Enforcement) Regulations 1997.
b) crimes involving native species which are endangered or of conservation concern;
In the United Kingdom, legislation such as the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994, the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006, the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 and the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 give protection to wildlife and important habitats and sites.
Crimes against protected species include killing or taking them from the wild (eg. birds of prey, plants); collecting their eggs or skins for personal collections; trading in them; and taxidermy offences. People destroying nests and breeding sites; bat roosts and other protected habitats can also be committing offences.
c) cruelty to and the persecution of wildlife species;
Some legislation protects particular species such as The Protection of Badgers Act 1992 and the Deer Act 1991. The Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 protects wild mammals by making it an offence to cause them unnecessary suffering by any means. Other crimes include blood sports such as Badger Baiting, Hare Coursing, Otter Hunting and traditional Fox Hunting. Widespread criminal activities include illegal snaring, poaching and poisoning.
On the international scale, FES is also committed to enforcing CITES and regularly raises awareness of legislation. Andy Mydellton visited CITES at the United Nation's Environmental Policy headquarters in Geneva to discuss many of these issues. The focus of the talks included a number of animal groups and families. Some examples were marine animals and in particular the Seahorse. FES is working on a Seahorse and Tiger adoption schemes which will raise funds that will be an important way of helping these animals.
(The picture above is the UNEP building Geneva and to the left is the foyer showing the FES display). Andy Mydellton at the CITES talks, Geneva