Lebanon joins CITES, participates in wildlife crime training
The Middle East is a crossroad of international trade, connecting markets in Europe, Africa, and Asia.
It is also a transit route for illegal wildlife trade, which has become a major concern of governments in the region.
Recently, International Fund for Animal Welfare’s (IFAW) office in Dubai organized and conducted a training workshop in Lebanon on the prevention of wildlife trafficking in collaboration with that country's Ministry of Agriculture.
The training aims to help officials to develop the necessary skills and knowledge to fight wildlife crime and protect their borders from traffickers and smugglers. The 30 participants came from the Ministry of Agriculture, Customs, Ministry of Environment and the Internal Security Forces.
The Lebanese Republic officially became member 178 of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species on March 3, 2013. Lebanon is well known for its natural habitats and wildlife diversity and has more than 100 species listed in CITES appendices.
The training gave officers opportunity to learn about CITES, and how it works, its importance, permits and appendices.
Officers learned how to detect fraud and forgeries of CITES permits through examination, authentication and verification. Officers also trained on how to detect smuggling and the techniques smugglers use to move contraband wildlife animals and products. Common species in trade within Middle East and North Africa region also were addressed.
There is an increasing amount of trafficking of wildlife animals to meet worldwide demand and international collaboration is the only way to prevent it and preserve our natural habitats.
We realise the importance of wildlife enforcement officers in preventing illegal wildlife trade and how to stop smuggling wild species and wildlife products across borders.