ASIA ENVIRONMENTAL ENFORCEMENT AWARDS 2018

Asia Environmental Enforcement Awards 2018:

• This is the third time the Awards will be given.
  
  
• Objective: The awards recognize excellence in enforcement by government officials and institutions/teams combating transboundary environmental crime, such as illegal trade in wildlife, chemicals or waste, in Asia.
  
  
• Categories:
  • This year’s Awards will be given in 4 categories: (1) Collaboration; (2) Impact; (3) Innovation; and (4) Integrity.
    
    
  
  
  
• Agencies involved:
  • The 2018 Awards are presented by UN Environment programme (UNEP) in partnership with the UNDP, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, INTERPOL, USAID, Freeland Foundation, and the Government of Sweden.
    
    
  • Financing for the Awards is being supported by different partners, including generous support from the Government of Norway.
    
    
  
  
  
• 2018 awards:
  • Nine institutions and individuals from across Asia have been recognized this year. Winners hail from China, India, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Thailand and Viet Nam
    
    
  • WCCB has been conferred this year’s Award in Innovation category. This is the second time in a row that the awards are being given by UN Environment to India.
    
    
  
  
  

Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB):

• Status: A statutory body constituted under the WildLife (Protection) Act, 1972.
  
  
• Parent Agency: Ministry of Environment and Forests.
  
  
• Mandate: To combat organized wildlife crime in the country.
  
  
• Location: The Bureau has its headquarter in New Delhi and five regional offices at Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai and Jabalpur.
  
  
• Wildlife Crime Database Management System:
  • WCCB has developed an online Wildlife Crime Database Management System to get real time data to analyse trends in wildlife crimes across India.
    
    
  • This system has been successfully used for carrying out operations such as Operation Save Kurma, Thunderbird, Wildnet, Lesknow, Birbil, Thunderstorm, Lesknow-II etc resulting in huge seizures of Tiger/Leopard Skin/bones, Rhino Horn, Elephant Ivory etc.