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Conferences Call for workshop contributions “Beyond enforcement: Involving indigenous peoples and local communities in combating illegal wildlife trade”
15 November, 2016 @ 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Submission Deadline: 30 September 2016
Date: 15-16 November 2016
Venue: TBC, Hanoi, Vietnam
The IUCN CEESP/SSC Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Specialist Group (IUCN SULi), IUCN Viet Nam, the IUCN Indo-Burma Group, the International Institute of Environment and Development (IIED) and TRAFFIC, are holding a regional workshop for Southeast Asia with a focus on the Lower Mekong Region to explore how best to engage Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities living close to wildlife or illegal wildlife trade routes in order to better combat the illegal wildlife trade (IWT).
MEETING OBJECTIVES
The objective of this meeting is to improve understanding and guidance on how Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities can be engaged as active partners in protecting wildlife against IWT, through collecting and examining regional experiences and case studies.
This regional workshop will further build upon an international symposium on this topic held in Muldersdrift, South Africa, in February 2015, which brought together experiences and case studies of different community engagement approaches. The Muldersdrift symposium highlighted the need for more focused regional exploration of the issues in order to contribute to an international effort toward raising awareness of and attention to the role of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in effective and just responses to IWT.
REGIONAL FOCUS
The countries of Southeast Asia, with a particular focus on the Lower Mekong Region.
CALL FOR WORKSHOP CONTRIBUTIONS
We are seeking analyses, case studies, and experiences of efforts to involve Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in tackling illegal wildlife trade. We are particularly interested in exploring approaches that have worked – and the underlying reasons for their success – and approaches that have not been found to be effective. We are also interested in case studies that document the impacts on Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities of external efforts to control illegal wildlife trade (e.g. the impacts of government-led (or private sector- led) anti-poaching patrols).
The focus is mostly on international illegal wildlife trade (i.e. wildlife trade that involves cross-border transactions), and less so on illegal use of wildlife for local subsistence or trade. In this context and for the purpose of this workshop, we define wildlife trade as trade in wild animals and plants and their parts and derivatives, with an emphasis on high-value species.
We would particularly like to encourage proposals for presentations from people who are members of Indigenous Peoples and/or Local Communities affected by or engaged in tackling illegal wildlife trade, or community support organisations; and from those with governmental (or inter-governmental) mandates and responsibilities or representing donor commitments for addressing wildlife crime.
We are also interested to hear from people without specific analyses/examples to present, but with direct experience to share or knowledge to gain from the discussion.
Proposals are invited on any aspect of the topic, but particularly in the following areas:
- Impacts of enforcement on Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities: How are current enforcement strategies impacting on communities?
- Understanding and quantifying the negative impact of wildlife crime on sustainable livelihoods and economic development: How is illegal wildlife trade impacting on Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities?
- Engaging Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in conservation: Where and how has strengthening community rights to manage and use or benefit from wild resources successfully reduced wildlife crime?
- Involving Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in law enforcement efforts: Where and how are communities actively engaging in enforcement efforts, and what factors underpin success?
Combating illegal wildlife hunting within Indigenous Peoples’ and Local Communities’ territories: How do communities deal with illegal hunting for IWT within their community managed hunting zones and territories more broadly?
