Enhanced enforcement, intel gathering key to saving pangolins from illegal trade

KUCHING: Better intelligence as well as effective laws and enforcement are needed to protect pangolins from trafficking, says a conservationist.

Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Malaysia country director Dr Mark Rayan Darmaraj said recent cases in Sarawak, which saw heavy fines imposed on offenders for illegally possessing pangolins and their scales, were a positive sign of successful prosecution and the state's commitment to tackling threats to wildlife.

"I certainly think heavy fines can act as deterrents, provided that adequate enforcement and resources are enabled to enforce the laws to reduce poaching and trafficking," he told The Star on Monday (Jan 31).

Three wildlife crimes involving pangolins were brought to court in Miri and Sibu in the last three weeks with jail terms and fines imposed ranging from RM27mil to RM50mil.

Besides effective law enforcement, Rayan said heightened intelligence gathering was needed at local and transnational levels to prevent poaching and dismantle trafficking networks.

He said Malaysia had been identified as one of the priority countries of origin and transit for large shipments of pangolins, whose scales and meat were in demand mainly for medicinal purposes.

"How we prioritise these actions is key to saving the species, not just in Sarawak but across Sabah, Peninsular Malaysia and other source sites," he said.

Rayan also noted that the Sarawak Forestry Corporation was in the process of elevating pangolins from "protected species" to the "totally protected species" category under the Sarawak Wildlife Protection Ordinance.

He said this was a step in the right direction as anecdotal reports suggested that it was now rare to encounter pangolins in the wild.

"Perhaps the additional thing to do when the species has been placed in the totally protected category is to roll out adequate community outreach to socialise the laws, not just pertaining to pangolins but other critically-endangered species too.

"This would be useful because very often, communities that live on the outskirts and nearer to the forest may not know of such changes and how serious these offences are if people were caught poaching or trafficking endangered wildlife," he said.

He added that through outreach programmes, these communities could also serve as law enforcement's eyes and ears to track and report illegal harvesting of wildlife.