DENR bolsters wildlife law enforcement in Central Luzon

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-Central Luzon reinforced its implementation of the wildlife law in the region.

This initiative came after the agency trained at least 100 DENR field personnel and partner enforcement officers from the national government, the academe, and other private institutions to enhance their skills and knowledge in enforcing wildlife law.

The participants learned about standard operating procedures on monitoring, evidence-gathering, surveillance, confiscation of wildlife specimen, case-building, and apprehension of law violators.

An active solution to a pressing problem

Deputy Director for Technical Services Arthur Salazar emphasized the importance of wildlife law enforcement in the conservation and sustainable use of wildlife resources. He maintained that illegal wildlife trade is still one of the primary threats to the biodiversity in the region.

“In Central Luzon, we have strengthened our effort to stop illegal wildlife trade by upholding our policy improvements and forging partnerships with other government agencies and organizations,” Salazar said.

In fact, last March, the DENR signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) to set in motion a Wildlife Traffic Monitoring Unit (WTMU). The WTMU is tasked to monitor and address cases which involve the transport or trading of wildlife resources.

via SunStar / Reynaldo G. Navales