LOS BAÑOS, Laguna, Feb. 20 -- The ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) congratulates the winners of the 5th Asia Environmental Enforcement Awards held on 17 February 2021, which were conferred by the UN Environment Programme on government officials and teams that have excelled in enforcing laws against environmental crimes, such as illegal wildlife trafficking.
Illegal wildlife trafficking is reported as one of the leading drivers of biodiversity loss and destruction of habitats in the ASEAN region. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), wildlife and forest crime in the East Asia and Pacific region is generating around USD 19.5 billion every year, making it a ‘lucrative business’ that is often hard to detect.