WEMS

The Wildlife Enforcement Monitoring System (WEMS) developed by the United Nations University (UNU) – Japan is a free web based software for common collection, compilation and analysis of wildlife and forest crimes data that can facilitate timely enforcement against wildlife and forest crimes and reporting to the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and other relevant Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs).

WEMS initiative influences policies in countering illicit trafficking of wildlife and forest products in collaboration with governments, development partners, MEA Secretariats and other stakeholder organizations.

Lusaka Agreement Task Force (LATF) is the nodal agency of WEMS in Africa. The implementation of WEMS in Africa involved the establishment of a regional environmental governance framework for research and development co-operation between LATF, UNU-Japan and ITC. To this effect, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed in May 2011.

Consequently, implementation in Africa started involving four (4) member states to the Lusaka Agreement namely Congo, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. A second phase will involve all the Lusaka Agreement member states and thereafter other interested African States. Through WEMS, the pilot countries’ national wildlife institutions have been brought together to a common information sharing platform on wildlife trafficking and wildlife crime.

Each implementing state has established WEMS national focal persons and mandate users responsible for the project at country level. In 2011 and 2012, LATF with its partners undertook capacity building workshops targeting pilot countries using WEMS to manage knowledge on wildlife crime trends and threat assessments. Since 2011, data on wildlife trafficking and wildlife crime continue to be populated in the WEMS database from the four pilot countries.

LATF in collaboration with partners has been promoting the use of information systems and technology for supporting sustainable developmental goals (SDG). Especially in addressing SDG Target 15.7 – Take urgent action to end poaching and trafficking of protected species of flora and fauna and address both demand and supply of illegal wildlife products.