Bangladesh: ICITAP Counter Wildlife Trafficking Program Engages with Conservationists to Help Community Raise its Voice

Between September 11 and 15, the ICITAP Counter-Wildlife Trafficking Program conducted two focus group discussion (FGD) events with members of the community, environmental non-governmental organizations, and university students to better understand the issues of concern from a community perspective in relation to the issues surrounding wildlife trafficking and wildlife poaching within Bangladesh. The FGD process undertaken by ICITAP, along with their partners the Centre for Research and Information (CRI), enables a robust preparation process for the upcoming televised policy discussion between members of the Bangladesh Parliament, young conservation activists, and the ICITAP team. This will in turn identify the questions that the community would like to see answered by policymakers and also what they consider to be the priority actions in the fight against wildlife crime. During the discussions with conservation groups and university students, a revision of the current wildlife laws within Bangladesh was highlighted as a priority action. It was also proposed that the Bangladesh Forest Department does not have the capacity to tackle the issue alone. It was suggested that a multi-agency approach whereby other law enforcement agencies are also accountable and measured on a reduction in wildlife crime offending would be of direct benefit. It is believed that such an approach would also promote better inter-agency cooperation and more effective operational activity. ICITAP will continue to work with the community in the build-up to the televised event and will ensure that the community has the ability to directly engage with policymakers and panelists to enable communities to be heard and represented. In Bangladesh, ICITAP manages its Counter-Wildlife Trafficking Program with the support of and in coordination with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).