Taimen Conservation Fund (TCF)
Law Enforcement Strategy
(2005-2008)
Background and Justification
The Strategy was developed as a result of a full year diligent work of the Taimen Conservation Fund. A TCF's cohesive set of activities included
• reviewing on the current law enforcement system in EUWA, including human resources and training needs, mapped current poaching;
• mapping current poaching activities (time, location, and scale) with especial focus on taimen;
• identifying key stakeholders and a target group and seek possibilities of their participation in a law enforcement;
• conducting a market survey on wildlife trade;
• testing several models to form an effective anti-poaching brigade; and
• conducting a basic training for the law enforcement staff
Based on the lessons learnt from these activities and reflecting the best international practices this Law Enforcement Strategy was developed. It aims to demonstrate how to develop and set up an effective and sustainable poaching control system.
Mission
The Strategy is designed to assist in the development of ecotourism based on catch and release fly-fishing for the highly sought-after game fish, Hucho taimen , the world's largest salmonid species. Taimen populations ranged across much of Mongolia and Siberia , but have undergone massive declines due to habitat destruction and over-fishing mostly due to illegal harvest. Taimen Conservation Fund is aiming to establish a suitable law enforcement structure in EUWA to reduce poaching. The law enforcement structure is proposed to establish in Khovsgol and Bulgan provinces to cover up the habitat of Hucho Taimen and other mammals in the EUWA through partnership with provincial administrative and environmental authorities including Provincial Police, Environmental Inspection Department, and Parks.
Goal:
Overall goal of the Strategy is to reduce and eliminate poaching activities of wildlife, endangered species with special focus on Taimen in the EUWA through partnership with local people and local administration in Khovsgol and Bulgan Provinces .
Objectives/Targets:
• Assessment of the current poaching activities (e.g. species, with special attention on taimen, time, place, size and reasons) are determined and an adequate enforcement structure is established
• An adequate law enforcement structure with the transparent public participation is established and its human and physical capacities are strengthened
• A long-term sustainable financial mechanism of the law enforcement system is established
Outputs and Activities:
Objective 1: Establishing an adequate law enforcement structure
Output 1. Assessment on current poaching activities
Activities:
• Carry out survey on poaching, illegal trading of rare and endangered wild animals in Khovsgol and Bulgan Provinces for the last 5-7 years using appropriate questionnaire, official sources and market survey (time, date, location, types of species, and numbers, market price and destination, cross border smuggling, reasons etc.)
• Carry out survey on the status of hunting, and procurement or trading of wild animals (where, when, what species) with and without formal permissions; possession of hunting guns and bullets by EUWA residents for comparative analysis; and further management improvement (bullet management, market price and destination, export etc.)
Output 2: Assessment on a current law enforcement mechanism
Activities:
• Conduct assessment on current situation of law enforcement structures in order to establish an adequate enforcement system and to collect a baseline data for monitoring of enforcement effectiveness, including inspectors job descriptions, their professional background, job performances, and an overall infrastructure (transportation facility, field equipments etc).
• Conduct assessment on possibilities of public participation and involvement to improve law enforcement mechanism (assessment on overall knowledge on environmental laws with especial focus on hunting law, willingness of their participation, form of involvement in law enforcement, e.g. volunteer ranger etc. develop possible mechanism for increasing public involvement, e.g. different kind of incentives).
• Develop proposal for an effective mechanism and structure for anti-poaching control system and conduct consultation and agree with Eg-Uur Watershed Management Council (WMC) and District Councils (DC) on the adequate law enforcement mechanism.
Objective 2: Establishing an effective law enforcement mechanism and strengthening human and technical capacity
Output 3. Establishing an adequate law enforcement mechanism with transparent public participation
Activities:
• Upon consultations with multiple stakeholders, establish an effective law enforcement structure and mechanism in cooperation with relevant authorities in the targeted provinces (activities include: hire rangers at hot spots; set up informants/volunteer rangers' network based on the survey results and rewarding system; market informant at each provincial market; contracts with volunteer rangers)
• Establish a sustainable incentive system for the local community to reduce poaching activities and improve effectiveness of the law enforcement system.
• Increase public awareness among local residents, central and local agencies on conservation of targeted species.
Output 4: Strengthening human and technical capacity
Activities:
• Establish a reliable and rapid-response information transmission network (provide the rangers with uniforms and means of transportation)
• Form patrolling systems (establish a mobile routine patrolling in critical areas and critical seasons, permanent control at the hot spots, e.g. provincial markets)
• Develop and deliver a 3-5 years training program on law enforcement system, based on training needs analysis.
Objective 3: Ensure a long-term financial sustainability for the law enforcement structure
Output 5: Establish a sustainable financial mechanism to finance a law enforcement mechanism
Activities:
• Conduct assessment on income and expenditures from using natural resource in the EUWA and determine/estimate lost revenues due to weak law enforcement
• Conduct assessment on the local budget expenditures that were spent in the last 5 years for the conservation activities with particular focus on improving the law enforcement resources.
• Review existing laws and regulations that allow to finance law enforcement structure and conduct assessment to implement these legislative acts on the ground.
• Develop a proposal to finance the law enforcement structure.
Management Structure
• TCF Mongolia will cooperate with the State Professional Inspection Agency (SPIA). The SPIA will provide the TCF law enforcement team with professional training and authority delegation.
• Law Enforcement Team leader and members will be selected and recruited by TCF in consultation with the SPIA, local authorities. The Team leader has an authority of a state senior inspector and the team members - a state inspector. The Team Leader is accountable to the Watershed Management Council (WMC) and responsible for implementation of the law enforcement activities in EUWA and reporting under a specified contract and terms of references. The Team is provided with reliable means of transportation and uniforms.
• Upon completion of the EUWA project's activities, law enforcement structure is maintained by the WMC and DC's.