The Philippines is one of the world’s 18 megadiverse countries, which collectively host two-thirds of the earth’s biodiversity. It harbors one of the highest concentrations of unique wildlife species in the world. Yet, it is a country facing high levels of threats from habitat loss, invasive alien species (IAS), climate change, pollution, and overexploitation. Over the last decade, the Philippines has become a significant source, transit, and destination point for illegally traded wildlife, by-products, and derivatives.
Recognizing the scale and impact of illegal wildlife trade on biodiversity, human health and well-being, and sustainable development, the Philippine government—through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)—partnered with the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) in conducting a technical review process of the country’s preventive and criminal justice responses to wildlife and forest crime. Thus, the conduct of the Judiciary dialogue.
As part of this effort, Tanggol Kalikasan, in collaboration with the Philippine Judicial Academy (PhilJA) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), organized a Judiciary Dialogue on September 9-12, 2024, in Manila. The dialogue brought together 20 judges from key regions identified as hotspots for wildlife and forest crime.
The ultimate objective of the activity is to raise awareness among members of the judiciary on wildlife and forest crimes, including the adverse socio-economic and ecological impacts if these crimes remain unabated. The event was supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the UNODC.