A workshop to review and validate the national strategy to combat wildlife crime (SNLCES) is being held on 11 and 12 April 2024 in Lomé at the premises of the Office for Development and Exploitation of Forests.

Indeed, wildlife crime is not only one of the main causes of biodiversity loss, but also a major challenge to be addressed. To remedy this situation, which is hampering the momentum for the effective implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in our countries, it is essential to carry out concerted actions through a reliable partnership in favor of the sustainable conservation of natural resources.

It is in this context that the Program for Biodiversity and Climate Change in West Africa (WABICC), funded by USAID, carried out in 2017 an assessment of the threats posed by wildlife crime to biodiversity in the West African subregion. This assessment is accompanied by a list of priority needs and recommendations to enable ECOWAS states to respond effectively to threats related to environmental crime.

Based on the results of this assessment, ECOWAS has initiated the development of a regional strategy to combat crime related to species of wild fauna and flora. This strategy adopted by the Meeting of Ministers responsible for the environment includes nine (09) objectives including objective 2 “Ensure coordinated national, regional and interregional cooperation to combat wildlife crime”, requires, in point 5, the development and adoption at the level of each country of a national strategy to combat crime related to species of wild fauna and flora. Similarly, objective 1 aims to strengthen institutional responses through training, capacity building and law enforcement.

In this perspective and in order to help ECOWAS Member States to implement the recommendations of this regional strategy, the Programme for Biodiversity and Low Emission Development in West Africa (WABiLED), the second phase of WABICC, is supporting Togo in the adoption of strategic tools to fight wildlife crime. The first phase of this support made it possible to update Togo's priority needs in the fight against wildlife crime during the month of June 2023. Based on this diagnosis, a draft National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Crime (SNLCES) was proposed by WabilEd experts and sent to Togo for improvement and ownership by the national team.

 

The overall objective of this action is to contribute to the implementation of the Strategy to Combat Wildlife Crime in West Africa (WASCWC). It is specifically about:

*review and improvement of the draft National Strategy for Combating Crime Related to Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (SNLCES);

*validate the SNLCES project in Togo.

The expected results of this workshop include, among others:

• The draft National Strategy for Combating Crime Related to Species of Wild Fauna and Flora is improved and taking into account the national format and requirements for the development of strategies;
• The draft National Strategy for Combating Crime Related to Wild Fauna and Flora Species is validated by all national actors.