Title: Managing wildlife crime in the DRC: African Wildlife Foundation provides cutting-edge tools to its partners
Introduction :
The fight against international wildlife trafficking is a major challenge in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Aware of the urgency of the situation, the NGO African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) recently provided crime scene management equipment to its partners. This initiative aims to strengthen the capacities of border control agencies to effectively combat this trafficking and preserve the country’s biodiversity. In this article, we will see how this action contributes to the fight against wildlife crime in the DRC and what are the expectations for the future.
Strengthen capacities to combat wildlife crime:
Wildlife crime represents a serious threat to biodiversity in the DRC. AWF, together with its partner JUREC, has launched a project aimed at reducing the ability of criminal groups to poach and traffic in protected animals. As part of this project, training was provided to border control agency officers on evidence collection and wildlife crime scene management.
N’djili international airport in Kinshasa and the port of Matadi have been identified as the main exit points for wild animals in the DRC. Therefore, specialized kits have been provided to relevant border control agencies, such as RVA, DGDA, OCC, DGM and SCTP. These kits include tools such as gangs, tapes, cameras and detective chemicals to identify protected species.
Expectations for the future:
The delivery of this material to border control agencies marks a major step forward in the fight against wildlife crime in the DRC. By strengthening the capacities of agents, it is expected that the number of arrests linked to the trafficking of protected animals will increase, which will help to reduce this scourge and preserve the country’s biodiversity.
Combating international wildlife trafficking is a long-term goal for AWF. The organization plans to continue its efforts in this area over the coming years, working closely with its partners and raising awareness of the importance of preserving wildlife in the DRC.
Conclusion :
The fight against wildlife crime in the DRC requires concerted action and strong partnerships. AWF, through its project to combat international wildlife trafficking, has played a key role in providing crime scene management materials to its partners. These specialized tools enable border control agencies to collect evidence, secure crime scenes and effectively combat trafficking in protected animals.
The delivery of this material marks an important step in the fight against wildlife crime in the DRC. It is expected that this will help reduce this scourge and preserve the country’s biodiversity. AWF will continue to work in this area to promote the preservation of wildlife in the DRC and raise awareness of the importance of this cause.