Welcome to USAID’s Regional Development Mission for Asia. As we prepare to mark the International Day for Biological Diversity on May 22, we would like to share some information about what the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is doing to help protect biodiversity by fighting wildlife crime.  We also would like to talk about how we are reaching out to others to find innovative ways to deal with this very important issue, including from our own Regional Development Mission here in Bangkok.

As you know, wildlife trafficking is a huge issue – and is growing in importance each day.  It is driven by international crime syndicates, who earn an estimated $19 billion from illegal trade in ivory, rhino horn, pangolin, tigers, and so many other species. And it is a tremendous challenge for authorities here in Asia and in other parts of the world to put a stop to it, with so much money at stake for those who are profiting from this crime.

And success will take the efforts of many: not just the brave park rangers who put their lives on the line each day in countries around the world to protect the planet’s increasingly threatened biological diversity.  Not just the customs agents and border guards, in airports and on roads.  It also requires strong support from the transportation sector, to make sure illegal wildlife and wildlife products, like rhino horn and ivory, are not being shipped.   And from restaurants and retail stores, at all levels, to not offer these things for sale.  And support from school teachers, NGOs, and if I may, the press, to make sure people really understand the seriousness of this threat.  We need to reduce the demand that is devastating endangered wildlife around the world. 

The facts on illegal wildlife trafficking speak for themselves, and the rate of increase is deeply disturbing.

●     For example in 2006, an estimated 10 rhinos were poached.  By 2014, just eight years later, estimates are that more than 1,000 rhinos were poached for their horns.  There are probably less than 30,000 rhinos in the world today – and with rhino horn fetching as much as $30,000 a pound, prospects are grim.

●     The case of the elephant is similar, with 35,000-50,000 poached each year and with an estimated poaching rate of 8 percent a year – and those 8 percents add up quickly.  If consumer demand continues to be strong, with ivory selling for as much as $1,000 a pound, they, too, will inevitably face extinction.  People need to understand that they shouldn’t purchase these products.

●     The situation with the tiger is even worse.  Experts estimate that more than 500 tigers are killed each year.  According to a Government of Thailand survey in 2013, the number of tigers in the forests has decreased to just 250.  

●     And an estimated 100 million sharks are killed each year worldwide, most to meet the demand for shark fin soup.  And at the last CITES conference, hosted by Thailand just a couple of years ago, five species of shark were added to the endangered species list.

●     And one other important issue that we need to keep in mind: many of the world’s most dangerous infectious diseases are believed to be linked to the trade and consumption of wildlife – and that can carry very significant social and economic costs.  The 2002-2004 SARS pandemic, for example, cost East and Southeast Asia $18 billion.  The HIV virus is believed to have spread to humans through consumption of non-human primates, and we know that enormous amounts of resources have been spent – and continue to be spent – to address that problem.  And the latest Ebola outbreak in West Africa is suspected to have jumped from wild animals to human populations, also through bush meat consumption.  As you know, wild animals are also consumed in Asia – in urban restaurants, and in rural villages. 

●     This isn’t just a question about saving the animals: it may also be a question about protecting global health.

So we’ve talked some about the problem – and now I’d like to turn to how we are searching for additional tools to help address it.  And there, too, the U.S. Agency for International Development is reaching out to others, for innovative ideas.

Today, I’d like to tell you a bit more about a new campaign by USAID to draw out the best ideas from people in Asia, and around the world, to help combat wildlife crime. At USAID, in partnership with the National Geographic Society, the Smithsonian Institution, and TRAFFIC, we have launched the Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge to reward innovative science and technology solutions that help combat illegal wildlife trafficking.

USAID around the world, including here in Bangkok, gives great emphasis to using science and technology as powerful development tools, and the Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge is one more example.  It will reward innovative science and technology based solutions that tackle four issue areas:

●     understanding and shutting down transit routes,

●     improving forensic tools and intelligence gathering to build strong criminal cases,

●     reducing consumer demand for illegal wildlife products, and;

●     fighting corruption linked to the illegal wildlife trade.

The Challenge has three stages of application:  1) first, a Concept Note; 2) then, a Prize Application, and 3) finally, a Grand Prize Application.  By June 30, all interested applicants are required to first submit a short Concept Note, from which a group of finalists will be invited to submit a Prize Application.

The Challenge will select several winners from the Prize Application pool to receive a Prize of $10,000, in addition to giving them promotional and networking opportunities and technical assistance to scale-up or accelerate their solutions. Prize winners will also have an opportunity to compete for one of up to four Grand Prizes, worth between $100,000 and $500,000.  The Challenge will use Grand Prizes to target and invest in the most promising solutions. The total number of Prize and Grand Prize winners will depend on the quality of applications.  Again, winners will receive financial, technical and other assistance to scale their solutions. 

Following the selection of winners, the Challenge Team intends to create a community among innovators, users, and the public that will collaborate on further innovation and dissemination of the results. You can learn more about the Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge and how to submit an application at http://wildlifecrimetech.org. We could really use your help in writing about the Challenge so that more people will apply.

So why are we doing this? Wildlife trafficking has emerged as one of USAID’s highest priorities, as poaching continues to undermine conservation achievements, economic prospects, and security. While many countries in the region rank among the most biodiversity rich countries in the world, Asia is also a major hub for wildlife trafficking, supplying domestic and international markets with a variety of live animals, animal parts and medicinal plants.  Countries in the region have a high demand for trafficked wildlife and serve as a key transit hub for rhino horn and elephant ivory, and other endangered species.

This is a growing concern in Asian countries, and ASEAN has supported its own Wildlife Enforcement Network, hosted by Thailand.  USAID has also been working closely with other U.S. government agencies, regional governments, civil society and international actors to tackle wildlife trafficking, including through its Asia Regional Response to Endangered Species Trafficking program (ARREST), which works to reduce consumer demand for wildlife products and strengthen law enforcement, regional cooperation and anti-trafficking networks.

Here at USAID’s Regional Development Mission for Asia, we are committed to biodiversity conservation.   Science, technology, innovation and partnerships are integral parts of our long-term development strategy extending through 2018, to help us to promote more resilient societies and end extreme poverty. We are working to incorporate the latest thinking and innovation into all of our projects.

Here are a few examples:

●     With our development partners we developed and released the WildScan app in Thailand in September 2014, and in Vietnam last week (May 11, 2015). This mobile application contains a unique identification function, high resolution photos and critical information for over 300 endangered species and illegal wildlife products commonly trafficked into and throughout Southeast Asia, as well as a simple reporting system. It is designed to enable frontline wildlife law enforcement agencies and the general public to efficiently and accurately identify, report, and handle animals and animal products caught in the illegal wildlife trade, without the need for large reference books. WildScan is available for free download on Android devices via Google Play www.wildscanapp.com.

●     We worked with partners to develop Happy Fish, an online database populated with information collected in smartphones to help Ministry of Fisheries officials in the Solomon Islands collect more accurate information about fish stocks and set a baseline for more accurate management of marine resources in the future.

●     We partner with Microsoft on the global mobile solutions competition, the Imagine Cup. Now in its second year with USAID involvement, the contest includes key development themes. Thailand has had three winners in 12 years, and perhaps could produce a winner for the USAID's ongoing wildlife contest.

●     The USAID Partnerships for Enhanced Engagement in Research Program which is currently supporting local scientists the development of a DNA database for threatened and endangered species in Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos. This will provide a reference library for future work in forensic identification of trafficked species.

●     We are partnering with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to place 14 ASEAN Science and Technology Fellows in government ministries in Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. Several of these work in the area of biodiversity and clean energy.

So with this introduction to our campaign, and some facts about USAID’s development work in the region, I would be happy to respond to questions you may have.