KOTA KINABALU: The United States Department of State's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) has injected more money to fight wildlife crime in Sabah.
This additional RM6.9mil (USD$1.5mil) is a continuation of a previous RM7.7mil (USD$1.83mil) given to the Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) as it worked with the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) and other stakeholders to combat wildlife crime.
With this new funding from the US bureau, the field centre would enter the next phase of its enforcement strategy dubbed Sabah’s Harmonized Intelligence, Enforcement, and Legal Defence Against Wildlife Crimes (SHIELD).
SHIELD will run from October 2024 to September 2026 to implement a slew of activities to fight wildlife offences through digital crime fighting, inter-agency cooperation, and boost prosecution.
Sabah Wildlife director Roland Niun said the support from INL has been invaluable for Sabah’s wildlife while the new award will be vital for Sabah’s ‘10-Year Action Plan on Combating Wildlife Crime’ initiative launched in October this year.
“We are very pleased to be partnering with DGFC, WWF Malaysia (Sabah), Justice for Wildlife Malaysia (JWM), and TRACE Wildlife Forensics Network, under the SHIELD Project,” he said in a statement on Monday (Dec 9).
“With enhanced resources, strengthened partnerships, and renewed commitment, this initiative sends a clear message - Sabah’s wildlife is a global treasure worth protecting,” he said.
Mohd Soffian Abu Bakar, SWD’s Deputy Director commented that this new project builds upon the success of the field centre’s previous INL-funded project - Boosting Enforcement and Forensic Capacity to Deter Wildlife Trafficking in Sabah, which ran from 2019 to 2024.
That project received RM7.7mil, he said, adding that the highlights of this earlier project included the creation of specialised Intelligence and Forensic Units within the SWD, he said.
It also saw the establishment of interagency networks, such as the Wildlife Crime Intelligence Committee (WCIC) and the Sabah Analysts Network (SAN), he said.
