(Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, November 23) - Southeast Asia is a known hotspot for illegal wildlife trade - poaching, trafficking, and consumption of wildlife is rampant. To strengthen the capacity of law enforcement officers to prevent and combat illegal wildlife trade, the ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN), ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) and FREELAND Foundation conducted a demonstration “Enforcement Ranger Basic Training Course”, involving 20 Thai forest rangers, for senior forest protection officials from nine ASEAN countries at Khao Yai National Park in Thailand from November 9th to 23rd, 2009.  
The demonstration counter-poaching operations training and following observers' workshop will help guide standardization and replication of effective patrolling and wildlife law enforcement capacity building in protected areas, utilizing ACB competency standards for protected area jobs. Given the prevalence of poaching in vulnerable forests throughout Southeast Asia, a regional approach to building environment protection capacity is crucial.

The ASEAN-WEN has reported that the scale of illegal wildlife trade in Southeast is alarming. Due to the nature of illicit trade, it is difficult to obtain exact figures but some experts estimate the value of illegal wildlife trade at 10 to 20 billion U.S. dollars annually. Almost all wild species including illegally cut timber, birds, reptiles, and mammals are traded in the region. Forest rangers and coast guards are the first, and sometimes only, line of defence.
“Illegal wildlife trade will result in massive and irrevocable biodiversity loss if left unchecked,” ACB Executive Director Rodrigo U. Fuentes emphasized. “The ASEAN region is home to a wealth of biodiversity resources that provide livelihood and basic needs to over 500 million people. It also cradles a good number of forests, protected areas, and community conserved areas which are critical to the conservation of biodiversity.  Thus, protecting these natural treasures, most especially wildlife, is a priority among ASEAN Member States.”
Conducted by the enforcement training and conservation group FREELAND Foundation, the intensive practical two-week course covers first aid, navigation, enforcement, weapons handling, patrolling operations, hostile engagement and arrests.
Course Coordinator Yenta Nungvaewdaeng, Managing Director of FREELAND, said “Park managers and staff in the ASEAN region need to continuously enhance their technical expertise to effectively manage key environmental areas.”
Dr. Chumphon Sukkaseam, Senior Officer of the ASEAN-WEN Program Coordination Unit, said, "It's not easy protecting large areas of forest from poachers and land grabbers, no country has unlimited manpower for this. However, with the right training and equipment, rangers are able to patrol far more safely and effectively. We work to save the forests not only for Asia, but also for the world’s natural resources."
In its gap analysis, the ACB found that ASEAN Member States’ effort to fight illegal wildlife trade is constrained by inadequate training, equipment and infrastructure support, as well as information and science-based technology. Targeted investment in these areas is necessary to secure protected areas and give overexploited ecosystems a chance to rebound.
“One of the most critical parts of managing protected areas and forests is enforcing laws.  Forest crimes are rampant in the ASEAN region, including illegal logging and forestland encroachment. These crimes contribute to the degradation or loss of habitats for species. Their destruction or conversion to other land uses removes the condition for which the diversity and stability of the ecosystem is maintained. For instance, in many parts of the region, the conversion of forest lands for agricultural purposes has caused extinction of some endemic plant and animal species. Similarly, replacing natural forests with plantation forests prevent the return of species and their natural habitats that are lost during the process of conversion.  Without proper enforcement of laws, the ASEAN region could lose so much of its natural resources,” Dr. Monina Uriarte, Capacity Development Specialist of the European Union-assisted ACB explained.
This groundbreaking ASEAN demonstration counter-poaching operations training course was jointly organized by the FREELAND Foundation, ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN), and the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), with funding from the U. S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and European Union-assisted ACB, as well as in-kind support from Thailand's Department of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.