Bangkok--5 Oct--FREELAND Foundation
Photo caption: Organizers open the first regional training for ASEAN and Bhutan’s leading forest rangers at Khao Yai National Park, Thailand.
(From left: Clarissa Arida — ACB’s Director of Program Development and Implementation, Manoch Karnpanak-ngan — the superintendent of Khao Yai National Park, Dr.Apichai Thirathon — USAID’s Senior Program Development Specialist, Regional Environment Office, Wattana Wettayaprasit — DNP’s Director of Wild Flora and Fauna Protection Division, Matthiep Penot — EU Programme Coordinator, Dr.Chumphon Sukkasaem — ASEAN-WEN’s Senior Advisor and Steven Galster — FREELAND Foundation’s Executive Director
Designed to dramatically improve the security of protected ecosystems though better patrolling and management, the first ASEAN Regional Protected Area Protection Enforcement Managers (PAPEM) and Strategic & Tactical Operational Patrolling (STOP) Training Course for supervisor-level rangers from ASEAN member countries and Bhutan is being conducted by FREELAND Foundation at Khao Yai National Park from October 4th — 16th, 2010. This ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN) training course is funded USAID and the European Union-assisted ASEAN Center for Biodiversity (ACB).
Southeast Asia’s remaining natural ecosystems face a serious threat from poaching and illegal clearing. They are a major source of illegally traded wildlife, supplying a global black-market worth an estimated US$ 10-30 billion annually. Authorities are strengthening inter-agency and international cooperation through the ASEAN-WEN to respond to this illicit trans-national trade, which threatens to drive many endangered species to extinction.
For more information and high-resolution photographs, contact FREELAND Media Liaison Pornvadee Piyakhun at +66 22042719 or by email:
[email protected]
FREELAND Foundation is an international organization dedicated to ending the illegal wildlife trade, conserving natural habitats and protecting human rights. FREELAND works throughout Asia, raising public awareness and building local capacity to protect critical ecosystems, wildlife and human rights. FREELAND is the lead implementing partner of the USAID-funded Support Program for the ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN), a program that provides investigative assistance, training and other capacity building support to Southeast Asian authorities tasked with stopping poaching and illegal wildlife trade — major threats to biodiversity. For more information, visit www.freeland.org