Project Grant F22AP03472

THE ILLEGAL TRADE IN CHEETAHS ACINONYX JUBATUS IS INCREASINGLY THREATENING THE EXISTENCE OF THE REMAINING POPULATIONS IN BOTH THE HORN OF AFRICA AND OTHER EAST AFRICAN RANGE STATES AN ESTIMATED 300 OR MORE CHEETAHS ARE TRAFFICKED THROUGH THIS REGION ANNUALLY, REPRESENTING AN UNSUSTAINABLE LOSS GIVEN THERE ARE LESS THAN 7000 CHEETAHS IN THE WILD GIVEN THE SCALE AND COMPLEXITY OF ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE IWT , CONSERVATION EFFORTS HAVE OFTEN FOCUSED ON SINGLE ASPECTS, FREQUENTLY ONLY BEING ABLE TO MAKE PROGRESS AT A NATIONAL LEVEL THE HORN OF AFRICA SOURCE AND ARABIAN PENINSULA DESTINATION REGIONAL COOPERATION THAT IS ESSENTIAL TO EFFECTIVELY DISRUPT TRAFFICKING NETWORKS HAS BEEN MINIMAL AND AD HOC, CONSTRAINED BY LIMITED RESOURCES, LOW PRIORITIZATION AND A COMPLEX AND MULTI LAYERED POLITICAL SITUATION THAT CAN MAKE EVEN ROUTINE LAW ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES AND COMMUNICATION CHALLENGING THE SOMALI REGIONAL STATE SRS IN ETHIOPIA HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A CHEETAH TRAFFICKING HOTSPOT WHERE CUBS ARE TRAFFICKED OUT VIA NEIGHBORING SOMALILAND AND ON TO THE ARABIAN PENINSULA ENFORCEMENT INTERVENTIONS INITIATED TO DATE INCLUDE JUDICIAL AND PROSECUTORIAL TRAINING FOR ETHIOPIA S ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS MAJOR GAPS REMAIN IN ENFORCEMENT CAPACITY PARTICULARLY ON IDENTIFICATION, DETECTION, AND INTERDICTION OF WILDLIFE CONTRABAND CRIME SCENE MANAGEMENT WEAKNESS IN COLLABORATION AMONG EXISTING LAWS, POLICIES AND INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS LACK OF A CENTRALIZED DATABASE FOR COLLECTING DATA ON CONFISCATION AND ILLEGAL CHEETAH TRAFFICKING CRIME CASES IS A HINDRANCE TO EFFECTIVE PROSECUTION OF IWT CASES IN ETHIOPIA AS IWT INVOLVES MANY LIVE ANIMALS, THERE IS A NEED TO ENSURE THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL HAVE APPROPRIATE TRAINING TO ENSURE THEIR OWN SAFETY AND THAT OF CONFISCATED ANIMALS THE AFRICAN WILDLIFE FOUNDATION AWF IS PARTNERING WITH THE INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR ANIMAL WELFARE IFAW AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES AND NETWORKS TO COUNTER CHEETAH TRAFFICKING FROM THE HORN OF AFRICA TO THE ARABIAN PENINSULA THROUGH STRENGTHENING THE CAPACITY OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND OR CHEETAH MONITORING IN THE TWO REGIONS THE PROPOSED PROJECT BUILDS ON PAST AND ONGOING INTERVENTIONS BY BOTH PARTNERS SINCE 2014, AWF HAS TRAINED 69 LAW ENFORCERS IN ETHIOPIA ON PROPER EVIDENCE AND CASE MANAGEMENT AND SENSITIZED AIRLINE AND CARGO STAFF ON WILDLIFE CRIME AND CONTRABAND AWF IS ALSO SUPPORTING THE ENVIRONMENTAL CRIMES UNIT ECU TO DEVELOP STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES SOPS ON DEALING WITH WILDLIFE CRIMES IFAW HAS BEEN WORKING WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES IN SAUDI ARABIA AND THE WIDER GULF REGION SINCE 2007, TRAINING PERSONNEL ON SUBJECTS INCLUDING CITES IMPLEMENTATION, SPECIES IDENTIFICATION, TRAFFICKING TECHNIQUES AND OTHER CUSTOMS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT PROCEDURES THIS PROJECT WILL ADDRESS SEVERAL CRITICAL AREAS THAT HAVE PREVIOUSLY HAD INSUFFICIENT FOCUS THE IMPORTANCE OF WORKING WITH THE ENTIRE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, ESPECIALLY PROSECUTORS AND JUDGES THE NEED TO CATALYZE AND CREATE FORMAL AND INFORMAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN NATIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES IN THE ARABIAN PENINSULA AND THE HORN OF AFRICA THE CONTINUATION OF EFFORTS TO PROMOTE THE WORK OF REGIONAL MECHANISMS FOR FACILITATING INCREASED COLLABORATION AND COORDINATION TO COMBAT WILDLIFE CRIME VIA WILDLIFE ENFORCEMENT NETWORKS WENS THE REQUIREMENT TO ESTABLISH COMMON MECHANISMS FOR DEALING WITH THE LARGE NUMBER OF LIVE CHEETAHS SEIZED, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON HANDLING, CARE EVIDENTIARY SECURITY AND REPATRIATION AND THE NEED TO ESTABLISH A CENTRALIZED DATABASE TO HOUSE ALL INFORMATION ON CHEETAH TRAFFICKING THROUGH ETHIOPIA ULTIMATELY, THE PROJECT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO SPECIFIC OUTCOME 2 OF THE NOFO THAT THE CAPACITY OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND OR CHEETAH MONITORING NETWORKS ARE STRENGTHENED IN THE HORN OF AFRICA AND THE ARABIAN PENINSULA