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Thursday, September 02, 2010

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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 $35,000 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 acheivements 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.

The LAGA-MINFOF Collaboration

Background

The Last Great Ape organization (LAGA) was born because the survival of Africa’s great apes demands 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.

· The 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:

· INVESTIGATIONS – 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, increased deterrent, and classification of the illegal trade in endangered wildlife as criminal.

Monthly Action

June 2010 Report

Highlights

·          5 arrest operations against 6 dealers; 4 of the operations within 1 week.

·          A highly placed government official implicated in illegal wildlife trade and corruption sent to early retirement.

·          A dealer sentenced to 1 month prison term in Nkambe – North West Region.

·          LAGA received high recognition in the fight against corruption this month.

Click here for full report

May 2010 Report

Highlights

A major dealer arrested with 50 python skins in Nkambe – North West Region.
A parrot capturer belonging to a network arrested in Kribi – South Region while trying to illegally trade in parrots.
1 case sentenced this month in Bamenda – North West Region.

LAGA presents during the conference of the Interpol Environmental working group in Ivory Coast.

Click here for full report

April 2010 Report

Highlights

A dealer arrested in Kribi – South Region with 2sea turtle shells, as a continuation of the crackdown on illegal trade in these products.
4 dealers were sentenced this month – 2 in Bafoussam and 2 in Kribi.

Click here for full report

March 2010 Report

Highlights

2 ivory dealers involved in 1 ton ivory trafficking sentenced to 1 year imprisonment and to pay a record sum of over $116,500 as fines and damages.
2 dealers arrested in Kribi – South Region with 14 sea turtle shells, an area where several projects claimed to work on the protection of sea turtles for years.
Ivory dealer arrested in Abong Mbang – East Region with elephant tusks.
3 cases were prosecuted this month against 4 dealers.
LAGA participates in the 15^th CITES Conference of the Parties (CoP) in Doha - Qatar.

Click here for full report

February Report 2010

Highlights

3 international parrot traffickers arrested in Douala – Littoral, more than 300 parrots seized exposing more of this trade due to lack of prosecutions.
Ivory dealer sentenced to 8 months imprisonment in Yaounde.
LAGA Annual Report for 2009 completed.

Click here for full report

January Report 2010

Highlights

Operations started against 4 international parrot traffickers in Douala – Littoral following the seizure of more than 1000 parrots.

A principal Internet wildlife dealer arrested in Buea – South West Region
3 cases sentenced this month against 4 dealers.

Click here for full report

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 Video

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 !!!

Arrest of Italian timber logging director

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LAGA-MINFOF Internet wildlife trade operation

Wildlife trade Internet scamming is a crime as provider in Cameroon penal code under section 203 which gives a maximum of 20 years prison terms for anyone found guilty of using forged documents. Particularly the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wildlife Fauna and Flora (CITES) permits in carrying out illegal trade in wildlife species. Nobody is ignorant of the law so, be warned!!! click here for more

LAGA Leopard skin arrest Bafoussam

The implementation of 1994 wildlife law is very much effective in the West Region. Those trading in endangered wildlife species should take note, none is ignorant infront of the law. Thus some dealers in leopard skin were recently arrested in Bafoussam.The operation was carried out by the Regional Delegation of Forestry and Wildlife, the Forces of Law and Order, the Judiciary and technically assisted by LAGA. click here for more

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