With funding from the United States Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, the Tacuguma Chimpanzee Sanctuary (TCS), in collaboration with the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA), Legal Atlas and other stakeholders, on Friday 27th September 2024, ended a three-day Legal Training in Support of Wildlife Law Enforcement in Sierra Leone at Hotel Barmoi, Aberdeen in Freetown.
The 50 participants included officials from the Ministries of Agriculture and Forestry, the Environment and Climate Change, the Sierra Leone Maritime Administration, the National Protected Area Authority and the Otamba Kilimi National Park.
Some of the topics discussed included Humans Depend on Wildlife; Biodiversity Loss, Human Loss; Why Focus on Chimpanzees?; Wildlife Trafficking is Getting Smatter; Networks Defeating Networks; Legal Tools for Wildlife Conservation and Trade in Sierra Leone and How to Use Legal Atlas Platform to Access Law.
Other topics were Species Listing to Prioritize Conservation; Chimpanzees Legal Status; the Convention for International Trade Against Endangered Spices; Wildlife Crime Scene Procedures; Evidence Collection and Handling; Custody and Evidence Submission; Basic Criminal Concepts and Offences and Penalties Applicable to Wildlife Crimes.
The resource persons, including Mr. James Wingard, JD, Co-Founder and Legal Director of Legal Atlas, commended the US Embassy in Freetown for sponsoring the training, and recalled a similar training last year for Judges and Prosecutors in Sierra Leone.
The resource persons added that the US Embassy values wildlife in the country and wants to see the end of illegal wildlife trafficking, revealing that Sierra Leone is the only country in the world that has chimpanzees as its National Animals, adding that Sierra Leone is also on the spotlight for wildlife and tourism and called on all to renew their commitment to end the illegal trade in wildlife.
The representative of the Director of Forestry disclosed that the Ministry is the guardian of the country’s forests and natural resources for future generations, reiterating that illegal wildlife trade is a major threat to biodiversity in addition to fueling criminal activities, which is of grave concern and that illegal poaching disrupts the local eco-system and is a global security challenge.
He also pledged that participants would share the knowledge and experiences gained with their colleagues and respective communities, and that together they can all combat illegal wildlife trade. He appealed to all to think about the future, in spite of the challenges.
Hon. Mariama Zombo, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Climate Change and the Environment, observed that participants must first and foremost understand the laws before enforcing them, noting that the more the country loses its biodiversity, the more human beings are prone to danger, adding that Sierra Leone is a biodiversity hotspot and that Parliament is advocating for the enactment of a bill to prosecute defaulters.
Highlights of the well-attended event were presentation of certificates to participants, a question and answer session and discussions on how to replicate the training to other audiences.
