(MY) Standing up for our wildlife - a letter

[Guest guest]

Sunday November 27, 2005 - THe Star

 

 

Standing up for our wildlife

 

WE refer to your report, " Call for harsher penalty " , (The Star, Nov

23). WWF-Malaysia welcomes and applauds the move by the Kelantan

Wildlife Department to seek a stiffer penalty for the man who was in

illegal possession of a tiger carcass.

 

It is high time that stiffer deterrent penalties were meted out to

curb illegal activities pertaining to wildlife, especially the illegal

trade of flora and fauna.

 

It is not in the interest of our country to be seen as a market,

repository or collaborator in the illegal international trade in

endangered species.

 

We are also pleased to note from Natural Resources and Environment

Ministry's Parliamentary Secretary Datuk Sazmi Miah's statement that

the new wildlife protection law will see the imposition of mandatory

jail sentences as well as substantial increases in fines for wildlife

related offences.

 

However, it is important not to lose sight of the fact that providing

for stiffer penalties by way of law will not by itself serve as an

effective deterrent.

 

Penalties such as fines and custodial sentences will only act as

deterrents when they are appropriately utilised by the judiciary.

 

The meagre fine of RM7,000 on Ang Chun Tan relative to the nature of

the offence is a case in point.

 

There is an urgent need to raise awareness amongst the members of the

judiciary of the nature and impact of these wildlife offences.

 

This can be done through a number of ways:

 

a) By providing judges and magistrates with additional information and

training about the wider environmental, social, economic and cultural

impacts of wildlife trade offences so that there is better

appreciation of the significance of such conservation threats.

 

b) By establishing sentencing guidelines for the courts to use in

relation to offences involving wildlife.

 

Such sentencing guidelines can help to establish a structured approach

to sentencing that takes into account aggravating factors (if any)

that are a component of the offence; and

 

c) Encouraging judges and magistrates to use the full range of

appropriate penalties available to them in order to provide a just,

consistent and deterrent response to serious wildlife trade offences.

 

It is only when members of the judiciary are properly equipped with an

understanding of the severity of the threat faced by endangered

wildlife that they can impose punishment that not only reflects

society's abhorrence to the crimes against protected wildlife, but

also serves to deter the commission of such crimes in the future.

 

 

 

PREETHA SANKAR

 

Policy Coordinator

 

WWF-Malaysia

 

Petaling Jaya