WFFT Hosts Successful WARN Asia Workshop on Illegal Wildlife Trade

WFFT is proud to have hosted the WARN Asia Illegal Wildlife Trade Workshop from 10 to 13 March at the I-Love-Phants Lodge in Thailand.

The event brought together participants from across Asia, including Indonesia, India, the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Singapore, Laos, Malaysia, and the Republic of Korea, as well as the UK. This diverse group collaborated to share knowledge and develop solutions to combat wildlife trafficking.

The first day of the workshop was opened by Edwin Wiek, Founder and Director of WFFT and Secretary-General of WARN Asia. This was followed by insightful presentations from Freeland, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) / CITES Suvarnabhumi Airport, TRACE Wildlife Forensics Network, and the DNP Crime Unit. The afternoon discussion session provided a platform for participants to share ideas and experiences. The day concluded with a tour of the WFFT Wildlife Rescue Centre and a welcome dinner at Stripes Restaurant.

Day 2 featured presentations from the World Parrot Trust, Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation, DNP Wildlife Conservation Office, YIARI, and the Gibbon Conservation Society. In the afternoon, participants engaged in a workshop on utilising freely available online mapping tools to investigate the illicit wildlife trade.

The final day included presentations by Oxford Brookes University / For Tigers, the Centre for Orangutan Protection, the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime (GI-TOC), ACRES, and WCS Cambodia. The afternoon workshop focused on how social media can be used as a tool to combat the illegal wildlife trade, allowing participants to apply their investigative skills.

The workshop concluded on 13 March with a trip to Kaeng Krachan National Park, where participants had the opportunity to witness some of the region’s wildlife before their departure. Delegates were fortunate to see spectacled langurs, white-handed gibbons, black giant squirrels, and a variety of birds and butterflies.

We were particularly pleased to be joined by the Thai authorities, including representatives from the DNP and CITES. Their presence and active participation underscored the critical role that government agencies play in addressing wildlife crime.

The workshop was a resounding success, enabling participating organisations to forge new connections, exchange valuable insights, and explore new tools in the fight against illegal wildlife trade. Strengthening partnerships between NGOs, researchers, and government agencies remains key to making lasting progress in wildlife conservation and combatting trafficking networks.