LAGA - Wildlife Law Enforcement

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Friday, March 06, 2015

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LAGA -The Last Great Ape Organization

Today LAGA has built legitimacy for a new model of interaction between an NGO and Government . Seven months after its registration LAGA brought about the first wildlife prosecution in Cameroon. From 2006, every week a major illegal wildlife dealer has been arrested, around 87% of these are behind bars from the moment of arrest with no bail granted. Prosecutions are satisfying and have reached the maximum jail term of 3 years. Damages awarded have reached $200,000 for a wildlife case. Media efforts result every year in 365 media pieces put on TV, radio and written press - one per day.

The Government of Cameroon is one of the few parties of CITES (the UN Convention on Trade in Endangered Species) to include an NGO on the delegation and went further to nominate LAGA for the Bavin international Award. An award LAGA received by the Secretary General of the convention.

LAGA was commended for its achievements in wildlife law enforcement and for its impact in the larger context through various recommendation letters.

REPLICATION

Experience from Cameroon has proven that enforcing existing wildlife laws and providing measurable standards for the effectiveness of the enforcement, that is the number of major wildlife law violators receiving and serving a deterring punishment, is possible. Unfortunately baseline for this indicator is still zero in most countries in the Central and Western African Sub-regions highlighting the need for the extension of the LAGA model. The model has already been set up under the PALF project in Congo Brazzaville and the RALF project in Central Africa Republic with arrests and prosecutions carried out. In Gabon, the AALF project is responsible for replication under the NGO Conservation Justice. Apart of Central Africa, the model is on-going in Togo under the TALFF project, in Guinea - Conakry under the GALF project and in Senegal under the WARA project. Meanwhile, Chad and Nigeria are still in the process.

The LAGA-MINFOF COLLABORATION

BACKGROUND

· The Last Great Ape organization (LAGA) was born because the survival of Africa’s great apes demanded urgent action. Without it, the great apes and many other endangered species will soon become extinct. LAGA was registered in Israel in December 2002 and operates in Cameroon. It is a field-based organization designed to establish the effective enforcement of local wildlife law that is critical to the survival of the threatened animals.

· The Cameroonian Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF) made the courageous decision to go ahead with a pilot project in collaboration with LAGA. The collaboration seeks to create a successful model that will provide the missing ingredient in the wildlife conservation formula: creating a deterrent factor.

· LAGA is the first specialized Law Enforcement NGO in the sub-region. It focuses on threatened species and mainly on the dealers, the primary generators of the illegal bushmeat business, the ivory trade and the pet trade.

LAGA’s DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES:

· INVESTIGATION– Investigators, undercover agents and informers gather precise information so that dealers in meat and the products of threatened species can be arrested in the act, producing concrete evidence for the courts.

· OPERATIONS – LAGA technically assists MINFOF and the Forces of Law and Order to arrest violators and to channel complaint reports to the courts. LAGA closely supervises operations in the field.

· LEGAL ASSISTANCE – LAGA formed a legal team to assist in the administrative procedures of prosecuting the first wildlife cases known in the courts of Cameroon.

· MEDIA – LAGA puts newsflashes into national TV news, national radio news and written press concerning the success of the operations and positive court rulings. The Cameroonian media informs the public that the law is actively enforced, thereby achieving education of the public on the change, increasing deterrent, and classification of the illegal trade in endangered wildlife as criminal.

Monthly Action

January 2014 reports

Highlights

Three operations carried out this month and six traffickers arrested.
A lead hunter, president of a local association of hunters and two others were arrested.
Two other operations in Djoum led to the arrest of an ivory trafficker and two others trafficking in ape skulls.
African grey parrot trafficker who was arrested with 72 parrots gets 18 months jail term
LAGA members resumed work after season's vacation.

December 2014 reports

Highlights

Four court rulings leading to the imprisonment of 4 traffickers were carried out this month.

One of the court rulings sentences a major ivory trafficker who had been arrested twice before and was never prosecuted.

LAGA family goes on end of year vacation to resume work in January.
Deputy Director represented LAGA during the first EAGLE network meeting that held in Benin.EAGLE coordinator and LAGA Director was also in attendance.

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Second semester Report 2014 New!

Annual report 2013

The LAGA Family is less than a dozen activists. An NGO without a single vehicle. In a world of multi-nationals among the conservation industry giants, LAGA is proud to be small and slim. Follow this link

Action Videos

LAGA-MINFOF Ivory operation Douala

The Littoral Regional Delegation for National Security has arrested 2 wildlife dealers in Douala for trafficking in 1 ton of ivory about to be exported to international black market. The Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife in collaboration with the Judiciary and LAGA is establishing a case file against these ivory traffickers who are now behind bars. This, in conformity with the law of 1994, governing the wildlife sector in Cameroon. None is above the law !!! click here for more

FRANCE 24 - Reporters Broadcasts LAGA

France 24 broadcasts the activities of LAGA in enforcing the wildlife law in Cameroon. Enforcing wildlife law in a country ruled by corruption is not easy to go smoothly. This episode narrates an ivory operation and the kidnap of a LAGA investigator by notorious ivory traffickers. Follow the story as you click on the play button above.

Arrest of Italian timber logging director

The Central Delegation for National Security and the agents of Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife working in collaboration with The Last Great Ape Organisation arrested an Italian logging director in illegal possession of 3 live chimpanzees which according to the 1994 wildlife law is a crime. This is punishable by either a 1 year prison term or a fine of up to 10 million CFA francs. click here for more

Future for Nature Award

Interview with Ofir, the Director of LAGA on LAGA's activities, achievements and inspiration. One of the most awaited achievements Ofir seeks to see is working together with many countries beside those of the sub region to get wildlife traffickers behind bars. The Director in this interview also thinks that the larger problem is not just the wildlife criminals but the current trends in conservation. Watch more of this interview by clicking the play button above. click here for more