Post by admin on Jun 7, 2014 8:58:50 GMT 8
PHL to tap US wildlife forensics tech vs. poachers
May 15, 2014
The Philippines is getting a timely boost from the United States in fighting animal trafficking and other crimes against wildlife.
An agreement signed by Philippine and US officials will let the Philippines tap the state-of-the-art US National Wildlife Forensics Laboratory, the Philippine Embassy said.
“With this agreement, our law enforcement authorities in the Philippines can be expected to more effectively prosecute wildlife traffickers and other offenders,” Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Cuisia Jr. said.
Evidence admissible in PHL courts
Under the agreement, results of the tests of wildlife samples and biota that would be submitted to the forensics lab will be considered admissible evidence in Philippine courts.
Cuisia noted such a pact will give more teeth to efforts to thwart wildlife trafficking in the Philippines.
The pact is between the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
Signing the Memorandum of Understanding were US Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe, DENR Undersecretary Analiza Teh and BFAR Director Asis Perez.
With the pact, Philippines will have access to and use of the US National Wildlife Forensics Laboratory in Oregon, the only laboratory in the world dedicated to crimes against wildlife.
US National Wildlife Forensics Laboratory
Ashe said access to the US National Wildlife Forensics Laboratory will help police and prosecutors build stronger cases against wildlife traffickers.
“This is good news for native wildlife and for dozens of species from across the globe that may be smuggled into or through the Philippines,” he said.
But he added the fight to prevent wildlife trafficking and stop its devastating impact on some of the world’s most well-known and well-loved wild animals will "take a global effort.”
Ashe said the memorandum of understanding "exemplifies the sort of international cooperation that will help us win this fight and save species such as the African elephant and rhino.”
Collaboration
The Philippine embassy said the collaboration is the latest in the Partnership for Biodiversity II program, a joint program of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Department of the Interior.
It added the laboratory is one of only a handful of its kind in the world. It added the lab "is a global leader in developing techniques for examining, identifying, and comparing physical evidence of crimes against wildlife using a wide range of scientific procedures and instruments."
Also, the embassy said the lab supports law enforcement efforts in the US and 179 other countries, including the Philippines, that signed the United Nation's Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
Expanded anti-trafficking efforts
The Philippine embassy said the agreement will also serve as a foundation for expanded cooperative anti-trafficking initiatives between Philippine and US law enforcement agencies in coming years.
It also supports the US government’s wildlife anti-trafficking and biodiversity conservation goals, citing President Barack Obama’s Executive Order on Combating Wildlife Trafficking. — Joel Locsin/TJD, GMA News
Source: www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/361181/scitech/science/phl-to-tap-us-wildlife-forensics-tech-vs-poachers
May 15, 2014
The Philippines is getting a timely boost from the United States in fighting animal trafficking and other crimes against wildlife.
An agreement signed by Philippine and US officials will let the Philippines tap the state-of-the-art US National Wildlife Forensics Laboratory, the Philippine Embassy said.
“With this agreement, our law enforcement authorities in the Philippines can be expected to more effectively prosecute wildlife traffickers and other offenders,” Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Cuisia Jr. said.
Evidence admissible in PHL courts
Under the agreement, results of the tests of wildlife samples and biota that would be submitted to the forensics lab will be considered admissible evidence in Philippine courts.
Cuisia noted such a pact will give more teeth to efforts to thwart wildlife trafficking in the Philippines.
The pact is between the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
Signing the Memorandum of Understanding were US Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe, DENR Undersecretary Analiza Teh and BFAR Director Asis Perez.
With the pact, Philippines will have access to and use of the US National Wildlife Forensics Laboratory in Oregon, the only laboratory in the world dedicated to crimes against wildlife.
US National Wildlife Forensics Laboratory
Ashe said access to the US National Wildlife Forensics Laboratory will help police and prosecutors build stronger cases against wildlife traffickers.
“This is good news for native wildlife and for dozens of species from across the globe that may be smuggled into or through the Philippines,” he said.
But he added the fight to prevent wildlife trafficking and stop its devastating impact on some of the world’s most well-known and well-loved wild animals will "take a global effort.”
Ashe said the memorandum of understanding "exemplifies the sort of international cooperation that will help us win this fight and save species such as the African elephant and rhino.”
Collaboration
The Philippine embassy said the collaboration is the latest in the Partnership for Biodiversity II program, a joint program of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Department of the Interior.
It added the laboratory is one of only a handful of its kind in the world. It added the lab "is a global leader in developing techniques for examining, identifying, and comparing physical evidence of crimes against wildlife using a wide range of scientific procedures and instruments."
Also, the embassy said the lab supports law enforcement efforts in the US and 179 other countries, including the Philippines, that signed the United Nation's Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
Expanded anti-trafficking efforts
The Philippine embassy said the agreement will also serve as a foundation for expanded cooperative anti-trafficking initiatives between Philippine and US law enforcement agencies in coming years.
It also supports the US government’s wildlife anti-trafficking and biodiversity conservation goals, citing President Barack Obama’s Executive Order on Combating Wildlife Trafficking. — Joel Locsin/TJD, GMA News
Source: www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/361181/scitech/science/phl-to-tap-us-wildlife-forensics-tech-vs-poachers