Over 50 personnel from the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), India’s primary border-guarding force along the India-Bhutan border, have completed two crucial workshops aimed at wildlife crime prevention. Held on 29 and 30 October, the workshops took place at Phebsu and Mainaguri Border Outposts (BOPs), key locations known for their rich biodiversity but also for their vulnerability to wildlife trafficking.
Supported by Aaranyak, a research-oriented biodiversity conservation organisation, the sessions brought together SSB personnel and conservation experts from Aaranyak’s Legal and Advocacy Division, including Senior Manager Dr Jimmy Borah and Senior Project Officer Ivy Farheen Hussain. The workshops are seen as a significant step in enhancing anti-wildlife crime initiatives and equipping frontline personnel with skills to identify and combat trafficking threats.
Aaranyak’s team delivered detailed presentations on the scale and impact of wildlife trafficking, emphasising the global biodiversity crisis it perpetuates. Dr Borah highlighted that wildlife crime not only threatens species extinction but also poses a security risk, often linked to organised crime networks with connections to international markets in China and Vietnam. Trafficking routes in transboundary areas like the Indo-Bhutan border offer critical points of entry for smugglers due to the region’s remote and biodiverse terrain, making it a priority for anti-wildlife crime operations.
Dr Borah further outlined how wildlife traffickers use complex networks, often utilising both surface and air transit routes to evade detection, underscoring the importance of advanced surveillance at transit points. In addition, he stressed that rigorous inter-agency cooperation is essential in monitoring and preventing the illegal movement of endangered species and their parts across borders.
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Ms Hussain’s presentation provided insights into the specific species most targeted by poachers in the region, such as tigers, rhinos, elephants, pangolins, Himalayan black bears, tokay geckos, and barn owls, all of which hold significant ecological importance. She guided the SSB personnel on regional dynamics in wildlife crime, examining how poachers operate within the Manas Transboundary area and detailing the critical role that evidence collection and scientific investigation play in prosecuting such crimes. Her session also included an overview of wildlife protection laws, equipping personnel with knowledge on legal frameworks necessary for enforcing conservation laws effectively.
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