July 2013: The International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) has released the report of the first global meeting of the Wildlife Enforcement Networks (WEN), which convened on the margins of the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP16) in March 2013 in Bangkok, Thailand.

According to the report, presentations at the meeting highlighted the important role that regional networks play in combating illegal wildlife trade, by increasing bilateral and regional cooperation and the exchange of information and experiences across borders. The report also relays what the networks identified as key gaps, including a general lack of inter-agency cooperation at the national and international levels; insufficient human and financial resources at the national level to effectively counter illegal wildlife trade; and challenges such as language differences and communication problems. The WENs also pointed to the need for specialized training and technical assistance, as well as increased political support to combat wildlife crime and to raise awareness amongst senior government officials on wildlife trafficking. [CITES Press Release] [Meeting Report of the First Global Meeting of the Wildlife Enforcement Networks][Biodiversity Policy & Practice post about meeting]