In a new report released on 25 May 2023, alarming rates of wildlife trafficking in the Sulu-Celebes Sea within Southeast Asia have been brought to light. The study, titled "Illegal Wildlife Trade: Baseline for Monitoring and Law Enforcement in the Sulu-Celebes Seas," calls for urgent action in the region shared by Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Between June 2003 and September 2021, the area has seen over 25,000 live animals and over 120,000 tonnes of wildlife, parts, and plants seized from illegal trade.

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The illegal trade in this region targets a wide range of species, including forest-dwelling pangolins, freshwater turtles, elephants, as well as marine life like turtles, seahorses, sharks, and rays. The report highlights that the Sulu-Celebes Seas are used more as a conduit for smuggling wildlife between the three countries than as a transit pathway to other destinations.

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The analysis conducted for the study reveals that the illegal wildlife trade is severely impacting marine resources in the area surrounding the Sulu and Celebes Seas. Marine turtles, giant clams, seahorses, sharks, and rays have been seized in significant quantities and with high frequency.

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Additionally, an examination of online wildlife trade from September to December 2021 found that rays were the most frequently offered species for sale online in the region, often stockpiled or sold through live-streaming sessions. In just three months, over 600 online posts trading in turtles, pangolins, sharks, and rays were identified.

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The report also uncovers a substantial illegal trade in pangolins and live birds, with live birds accounting for 96% of seized live animals in seaports in the area.

 

Cecilia Fischer, WWF Wildlife Law Enforcement and Prosecution Officer, highlights the difficulty of patrolling the rich biodiversity and strategic location of the Sulu-Celebes Seas region.

 

She emphasizes the need for inter-agency and transboundary collaboration, particularly in addressing online trade in pangolins, sharks, and marine turtles.

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The report emphasizes the interconnected nature of illegal wildlife trade in the area and argues that solutions must involve viewing the region as a whole. It calls for greater inter-agency and transboundary cooperation, especially as the number of successful convictions remains low despite the high number of seizures documented.

 

The study finds that at least 45 different agencies across Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines have participated in arrests and seizures, with collaboration between multiple agencies within a country in over a quarter of incidents.

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The authors stress the importance of amplifying this collaboration at the regional level and express TRAFFIC's commitment to supporting the process.

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The report recommends increased vigilance at formal and informal landing sites to intercept wildlife contraband and the strengthening of agencies' capacities in investigations, prosecution, and post-confiscation handling.

 

Improved inter-agency and inter-country cooperation through enhanced communication streams and joint task forces guided by practical operating procedures across agencies and borders are also essential.

 

The study specifically focuses on trafficking in marine turtles, pangolins, sharks, and rays and suggests using existing traceability tools to combat trafficking in these species groups and introducing better regulation for the legal trade in sharks and rays.

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The study, conducted by TRAFFIC, was partially funded by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), and Freeland through a US Department of State- Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs project known as the Targeting Regional Investigations for Policing Opportunities & Development (TRIPOD) project.