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Speech
by Willem Wijnstekers, CITES Secretariat
"Distinguished
delegates,
generous hosts, and ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to again join
you at the Species Survival Network’s reception.
Tonight, I
have the distinct pleasure of recognizing the efforts of our dedicated
colleagues in law enforcement through the presentation of the Animal
Welfare Institute’s 2007 Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Law
Enforcement
Awards. This award is named in honor of Clark Bavin who, for
over
eighteen years played an integral role in combating wildlife crime
during his tenure as Chief of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
Division of Law Enforcement. The commitment, creativity,
dedication, and compassion that he brought to the law enforcement
profession helped to elevate and improve wildlife crime fighting
throughout the world.
It is
most appropriate that
at the beginning of CoP14 we honor the Bavin Award recipients for their
exemplary work in the field of wildlife law enforcement. This
must be a reminder to all of us who will discuss, debate, agree, and
disagree over the fortnight that our decisions have significant
implications both to the wild species that we strive to protect and to
those who are on the front line enforcing national and international
wildlife laws. Whether patrolling the forests of Cameroon,
combating wildlife crime on the streets of New Delhi, prosecuting
wildlife criminals in our courts, or identifying illegal shipments in
our nation’s ports, we owe everyone who protects our
world’s biodiversity a significant debt of gratitude.
Sadly,
two of
tonight’s recipients made the ultimate sacrifice while
protecting
their nation’s wildlife. Though we mourn their loss
we must
honor their memory by recommitting ourselves to strengthen and expand
our wildlife enforcement programs and capabilities. Since
CoP13 I
believe we have made significant progress in fighting wildlife
crime. The creation of the ASEAN Wildlife Law Enforcement
Network, initiation of the Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking,
improvements made by member countries to strengthen their law
enforcement programs, increased inter-governmental information sharing,
and expansion of law enforcement capacity building efforts are strong
indicators of a broadening awareness of the seriousness of wildlife
crime. These achievements highlight the importance of
international cooperation to investigate, capture, and prosecute the
perpetrators. For those involved in these efforts, we owe our
collective thanks.
There
is, however, always
room for improvement. We must endeavor to augment our efforts
to
combat wildlife crime by expanding our investigatory efforts,
stiffening our laws, and subjecting those committed of violating such
laws with meaningful penalties to deter future crimes. For
motivation to accomplish these objectives we need not look any further
than tonight’s Bavin Awards recipients. We need to
seize
their spirit, commitment, passion, and determination to protect
wildlife and make it our own. The imperiled plants and
animals
for whom we our responsible deserve nothing less.
The
theme of CoP 14 is The
Call of The Wild. The honorees tonight have heard this call
and
have committed themselves to protect the wild. Distinguished
guests and ladies and gentlemen, the 2007 Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Award
Recipients are: "
Wildlife Inspector Paul Cerniglia
Mr. Paul Cerniglia is a supervisory wildlife inspector with the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement. Since 1982, he has
been a mainstay of CITES enforcement through his work at John F.
Kennedy International Airport and the Port of New York. His
accomplishments include shutting down the New York black market for
psittacine birds, assisting in landmark cases involving trafficking in
live caimans and caiman skins, expanding the port’s CITES
compliance efforts, enforcing CITES protections for sturgeon, and
assisting in exposing most of the major U.S. caviar companies as black
market profiteers. He has also brought the issue of humane wildlife
transport conditions to the forefront resulting in improved industry
standards and reduced wildlife mortality. On his own initiative, he
developed a rigorous hands-on training program for new inspectors at
the Port of New York that has become a model for Fish and Wildlife
Service port operations nationwide. For his investigative expertise,
commitment to upholding wildlife laws, and exemplary efforts in
training other officers, Mr. Cerniglia is presented with a 2007 Clark
R. Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Award. Accepting the award on Mr.
Cerniglia’s behalf was Mr. Roland Marquis, a wildlife
inspector
with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
 Mr. Yvan Lafleur
Mr. Yvan Lafleur has been dedicated to the
protection of Canadian and
international wildlife and its responsible management throughout his
over 41 years of involvement in the field of wildlife law enforcement.
After serving as Chief Warden at several national parks in Canada, he
became the Chief of Wildlife Enforcement for the Canadian Wildlife
Service in 1989. During his tenure, the unit’s mandate was
expanded to include endangered species protection and the
implementation and enforcement of CITES. Mr. Lafleur’s
efforts
have significantly contributed to the creation or operations of the
North American Wildlife Enforcement Working Group, the Enforcement
Table of the Trilateral Committee for the Protection of Ecosystems, the
Canadian Natural Resources Law Enforcement Chiefs, the Interpol
Wildlife Group, and several other projects. He has also assisted with
wildlife enforcement training and capacity building projects in a
number of countries and has developed wildlife identification guides to
assist wildlife law enforcement officers. Though he retired from the
Canadian Wildlife Service in April 2006, he continues to serve as an
enforcement representative at the CITES CoP. Based on his experience,
Mr. Lafleur is deeply concerned about the division among
non-governmental organizations regarding the conservation of wildlife
and strongly encourages more sharing of information, coordination and
discussion between NGOs and wildlife agencies that have differing
visions of wildlife conservation. For his exemplary efforts during his
career in wildlife law enforcement, Mr. Lafleur is presented with a
2007 Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Award.
Cameroon's Last Great Ape Organization
The Last Great Ape Organization is a field-based organization that was
founded in 2002 to effectively enforce local wildlife laws critical to
the survival of threatened animals. In 2003, the Cameroonian Ministry
of the Environment and Forestry entered into collaboration with LAGA to
create a successful model to deter wildlife crime. As a result, LAGA is
the first specialized law enforcement NGO in Cameroon to provide
investigatory, operational, legal assistance, public education and
media services to assist the government in combating illegal wildlife
crimes. Since the inception of this pilot project, there has been
remarkable progress in improving wildlife law enforcement efforts in
Cameroon. LAGA has initiated 218 investigations, carried out 16
operations resulting in 52 court cases, achieved an average
imprisonment rate of 85 percent, and educated the legal establishment
and public about the seriousness of wildlife crime through hundreds of
stories published by the media. During this period, LAGA has
confiscated and re-homed eight chimpanzees, exposed the international
ivory trade between several West African countries and the Far East,
and investigated the illegal trade in lion skins and live apes. For its
efforts to combat wildlife crime, LAGA is presented with a 2007 Clark
R. Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Award. Accepting the award on
LAGA’s behalf is Mr. Ofir Drori.
Wildlife
Officer, Mr. Emmanuel Muyengi
In
April 2006, Mr. Emmanuel Muyengi, a wildlife officer working for the
Wildlife Division of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism in
the United Republic of Tanzania, led a raid on poachers who had killed
at least one elephant, eight zebras, and a wildebeest. During
the
ensuring melee, Mr. Muyengi was shot in the leg yet, despite the pain,
he was able to disable the poacher’s vehicle before
collapsing
into unconsciousness. Tragically, he died hours later as a
result
of his injury. Mr. Muyengi was a frequent collaborator with
the
African Wildlife Foundation on conservation projects in the Simanjaro
District which provides important habitat for elephants and other
wildlife in northern Tanzania. Mr. Muyengi’s former
colleagues describe him as a dedicated wildlife officer who always
defended and believed in wildlife conservation ethics and expressed
hope that his commitment to wildlife protection will be emulated by
other wildlife officers in Tanzania and the world at large.
For
his dedication in combating wildlife crime and in honor of his
sacrifice in the line of duty, Mr. Muyengi is presented with a 2007
Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Award posthumously.
Mr. Paulin
Ngobobo
As
the chief warden of the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of
Nature, Mr. Paulin Ngobobo is directly responsible for the protection
of the last and largest remaining populations of mountain gorillas in
the southern portion of the Democratic Republic of the
Congo’s
Virunga National Park. He has led many anti-poaching patrols
into
mountain gorilla habitat, come under fire from poachers, and been
imprisoned and whipped for challenging the role of the Congolese
military in the illegal production of charcoal. Earlier this
year, he played a key role in meeting with representatives of a
Congolese rebel force to explain the importance of mountain gorilla
conservation and its responsibility to protect these animals.
His
efforts are succeeding, as evidenced by the increasing gorilla
populations in portions of the park. Mr. Ngobobo frequently
speaks to student and community groups about mountain gorillas and
their protection and works with indigenous pygmies to seek their
assistance in ensuring the survival of these magnificent
gorillas. For his dedication to the protection of Virunga
National Park’s mountain gorillas and his efforts to educate
others about the importance of preserving this species, Mr. Ngobobo is
presented with a 2007 Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Award.
Rajasthan
Police Department
On the evening of February 3, 2006, a team of
police officers of the
Special Operation Group from the Rajasthan Police Department seized 34
freshly tanned leopard skins and 4 otter skins in Delhi and made two
arrests in a well planned operation spread over a number of
states. One of the criminals was an important member of an
organized ring of poachers who had been responsible for the repeated
smuggling of tiger, leopard and otter skins into Tibet. Both
before and after this significant seizure of wildlife products, the
Rajasthan Police Department has demonstrated its commitment to
enforcing wildlife protection laws in India. According to a
partial compilation of wildlife crime investigations, the Rajasthan
police have seized numerous animal parts and arrested nearly three
dozen criminals - including India's most notorious wildlife criminal
– since January 2003. It has succeeded in breaking up entire
wildlife criminal networks including the poachers, suppliers,
middlemen, and consumers of wildlife products within India.
For
its effort to combat wildlife crimes, the Rajasthan Police Department
is awarded a 2007 Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement
Award.
Accepting the award on behalf of the Rajasthan Police Department is Mr.
Rajeev Sharma, Deputy Inspector General of Police.
Mr.
Samson Parsimei Ole Sisina
Mr. Samson Parsimei Ole Sisina joined
Kenya’s Wildlife
Conservation and Management Department – the predecessor of
the
Kenya Wildlife Service – in 1979. As a ranger and
ranger-driver Mr. Sisina provided exemplary service in a number of
stations, including Narok, Kajiado, Tsavo West National Park, Meru
National Park and Hell’s Gate National Park.
Tragically, he
lost his life on April 19, 2005 while engaged in an undercover
investigation of an illegal game meat operation. A native
Masai,
Mr. Sisina had elected to leave the traditional rural life of his
people in order to pursue a job working for the Kenya Wildlife
Service. In honor of his career fighting wildlife crime with
diligence, professionalism, trust and integrity, and in remembrance of
his ultimate sacrifice in protecting the wildlife of Kenya, Mr. Sisina
is presented with a 2007 Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Award
posthumously. Accepting the award in his memory is Mr. Julius
Kimani, The Head of Investigations on Wildlife Crime of the Kenya
Wildlife Service.
Mr. John Webb
Mr. John Webb has strengthened CITES
enforcement in the United States
and contributed to increased global protections for wildlife during his
over 20 years of service with the Environment and Natural Resources
Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. As a prosecutor,
he
has taken on the global black market trade in CITES-listed species,
securing numerous convictions of individuals and companies.
Mr.
Webb and his team of attorneys have secured significant fines and
prison sentences for organized criminal networks engaged in the illegal
trade in CITES-protected birds and reptiles. His efforts have
also exposed the kingpins of the lucrative black market caviar
trade. He pioneered the use of extradition in wildlife
prosecutions, introduced DNA evidence for the prosecution of wildlife
crimes, and has found novel ways to apply U.S. federal law to such
crimes. Mr. Webb is recognized both domestically and
internationally as the pre-eminent expert on U.S. wildlife law and
CITES enforcement, and he has shared this expertise as a lecturer and
instructor for international training programs in Mexico, Madagascar,
India, Argentina, Belgium, Thailand, Brazil, Columbia and
Canada.
For these exemplary efforts, Mr. Webb is presented with a 2007 Clark R.
Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Award. Accepting the award on
Mr.
Webb’s behalf is Mr. Benny Perez, Acting Chief of the Office
of
Law Enforcement, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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