completed · child-protection

Proactive Pangolin Protection: coordinated capacity building for prosecutions and deterrence in Nepal

Pangolins are the worlds most trafficked animal, with estimates of more than a million animals removed from the wild over the past decade. The critically endangered Chinese pangolin has experienced population declines of up to 90% in the past 20 years due to poaching and the illegal wildlife trade. Pangolin poaching and trafficking is perpetuated by a lack of capacity of government authorities to successfully prosecute pangolin poaching and trafficking cases.To address this gap and counter the illegal trade of Indian and Chinese pangolins in Nepal, this one-year grant will support: development of an electronic wildlife crime database to strengthen analyses of poaching and trafficking trends in three provinces in Nepal; development of blueprint guidelines and train-the-trainer training for investigation officers on gathering and managing evidence, robust chain of custody processes, case building, and reporting; development of training modules and reference documents on wildlife crime, relevant laws, and impacts of poaching on pangolins; and training of 75 judiciary staff to increase their capacity to implement and enforce pangolin-related laws in Nepal.