Key law enforcement agencies and individuals were recognized for their exceptional work in fighting illegal wildlife trade (IWT) and protecting biodiversity in the Philippines in Quezon City on July 29.
The second Wildlife Sentinel (WiSe) Awards 2026 recognized the Philippine National Police-Maritime Group for Impact and Leadership; Police Major Arnel C. Anino of the PNP Maritime Group for Innovation; Department of Environment and Natural Resources Caraga Enforcement Division for Integrity; and DENR National Capital Region Enforcement Division for Collaboration.
The awards recognized the different roles of individuals and government institutions that have helped deliver tangible results against wildlife crime in the Philippines that are fought in villages, offices, ports, courtrooms and command centers.
First held in 2024,WiSe Awards were organized by wildlife conservation nonprofit TRAFFIC International.
Quiet, unglamorous act
‘Every arrest made, every case filed, every operation carried out with integrity-these are the quiet, unglamorous acts that help ensure the survival of these precious [wildlife] beings. I am certain we can build a world that gives all creatures, especially our endangered species, a fighting chance,’ said Quezon City Mayor Josefina ‘Joy’ Belmonte.
‘Behind every arrest, wildlife rescue or seizure, is a quiet hero working behind the scenes. We salute the remarkable dedication and commitment of these countless wildlife defenders,’ said Director Kanitha Krishnasamy of TRAFFIC Southeast Asia in a media release on July 29.
The WiSe Awards are part of TRAFFIC’s ‘Taking Charge: Strengthening Criminal Justice Response to Wildlife Crime in the Philippines’ project, which is funded by the United States Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.
4th most lucrative business
According to the Philippine Clearing House Mechanism, the official government-led network and online platform that facilitates the sharing of data, policies, and information regarding conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, illegal wildlife trade is estimated at $10 billion to $23 billion a year, making wildlife crime is the fourth most lucrative illegal business after narcotics, human trafficking, and arms.
While the Philippines has been exerting efforts to combat illegal wildlife trade, having been a party to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) since 1992 and other international treaties, the country remains a consumer, source, and transit point for IWT, threatening endemic species populations, economic development, and biodiversity.
IWT in the Philippines
The value of IWT in the Philippines is estimated at P50 billion a year, including the market value of wildlife and its resources, their ecological role and value, the damage to habitats incurred during poaching, and loss in potential ecotourism revenues.
Besides its membership in the CBD, the Philippines is also a member state of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which regulates international trade in close to 35,000 species of plants and animals.
The Philippine government also passed legislations, instituted policies and programs, and created inter-agency groups to combat the trade in illegal wildlife.
IWT plays a devastating role in global biodiversity loss. In the Philippines as well as other biodiversity hotspots, overexploitation-including poaching and illicit trafficking-is considered a major driver of biodiversity loss and one of the single, major drivers of the global extinction crisis, outpacing even climate change for many vulnerable species.
Many of the country’s iconic and revered species, including the Philippine eagle, Philippine tamaraw, Philippine tarsier, and Philippine crocodiles are being pushed to the brink of extinction.
International biodiversity expert Dr. Theresa Mundita S. Lim said the Philippines, together with the other Asean member states, has long recognized illegal wildlife trade as one of the major drivers of biodiversity loss.
‘Unsustainable and indiscriminate collection of wildlife, at rates far exceeding the ability of natural populations to recover inevitably, leads to population decline and, if left unchecked, may ultimately result in species extinction,’ Lim, the executive director of Miriam College’s Environmental Studies Institute, told the BusinessMirror via Messenger on August 2
A former director of the DENR’s Biodiversity Management Bureau (DENR-BMB), and executive director of the Asean Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), Lim said the growing demand for exotic pets, wildlife-derived pharmaceutical materials, and other industrial products continues to fuel illegal extraction and poaching.
‘While biodiversity resources may be accessed for legitimate and sustainable purposes, this must always be governed by science-based regulations that ensure such use is nondetrimental to wild populations and that the benefits arising from these resources are shared fairly and equitably,’ she said.
Combating wildlife crimes
Wildlife law enforcement remains one of the most effective means of combating wildlife crime, Lim said.
However, for enforcement to create lasting and meaningful impact, she pointed out that it must be both collaborative and innovative.
‘Success depends not only on the dedication of enforcement officers, but also on the collective efforts of policymakers, scientists, prosecutors, the judiciary, local communities, and the public,’ Lim said.
‘At the same time, enforcement strategies must continuously evolve, as wildlife traffickers increasingly exploit digital technologies, online marketplaces, encrypted communications, and transnational criminal networks to facilitate their illegal activities,’ she added.
Evolution of IWT
Lim, who was among the judges of the second WiSe Awards and a presenter during the awarding, noted that she witnessed the evolution of IWT first hand.
‘During my tenure as director of the [DENR-BMB], I witnessed this evolution firsthand. Wildlife enforcement gradually shifted from traditional confiscation and inspection operations in physical establishments to intelligence-driven investigations targeting online wildlife trade, digital transactions, and reports generated through social media and concerned citizens,’ she said.
The transformation, she explained, demonstrated that effective wildlife enforcement is no longer confined to the field-it also requires digital vigilance, strategic intelligence gathering, and inter-agency coordination.
‘As former chairperson of the Asean Wildlife Enforcement Network, I likewise underscored the importance of strong transboundary cooperation among Asean member states. Recognizing that the Philippines can serve as a source, transit point, and destination for illegally traded wildlife, we strengthened partnerships among enforcement agencies across Southeast Asia to disrupt trafficking routes, dismantle transnational syndicates, and discourage the region from being exploited by international wildlife smugglers,’ she pointed out.
Asean declaration on IWT
During her term as ACB executive director, Lim said the adoption of the Asean Ministerial Declaration on IWT in 2019 further reinforced the region’s collective commitment to addressing wildlife crime.
‘The Declaration enabled the ACB to strengthen its support for cross-border coordination, capacity building, and collaborative efforts to protect wildlife habitats and Asean Heritage Parks from illegal exploitation,’ she said.
Lim said it is encouraging to witness the continuing progress of wildlife law enforcement in the region.
As a judge for the WiSeAwards, she said she ‘was pleased to see enforcement initiatives that increasingly emphasize intelligence-led operations, scientific evidence, technological innovation, and multi-sectoral collaboration.
‘These approaches reflect the direction that wildlife conservation must take in order to effectively address complex environmental crimes increasingly,’ she said, adding that the Miriam College-Environmental Studies Institute joins the nation in congratulating the winners of the Awards.
‘Their [awardees] achievements demonstrate that innovation, collaboration, and unwavering commitment are essential ingredients in protecting our country’s rich biodiversity and in combating wildlife crimes that threaten our natural heritage and affect sustainable economic growth,’ she added.
Silent crisis
Environmentalist Gregg Yan said on August 3 that while most of the world’s forests and coral reefs might appear well-protected, many are actually facing a silent crisis.
‘Coined by biologist Kent Redford in the 1990s, the ’empty reef or forest syndrome’ is driven by the multi-billion-dollar illegal wildlife trade or IWT,’ noted Yan, founder and executive director of Best Alternatives, a global movement to promote sustainable and ethical alternatives to a host of illegal and destructive practices.
He said that IWT, being among the top-tier transnational crimes, ‘it trades everything from tiger bones and dried seahorses to pangolin scales and live plants plucked straight out of our rainforests.’
‘Often, criminal syndicates exploit systemic vulnerabilities-weaponizing poverty to lure marginalized communities like Indigenous [communities] into doing the high-risk poaching for them,’ Yan said.
Deterrence, economic empowerment
According to Yan, to effectively weaken IWT, it must be attacked on two fronts: punitive deterrence and economic empowerment.
‘Aggressive law enforcement should make high-profile examples of offenders. Local communities should be presented with best alternatives to poaching-such as sustainable ecotourism, upland farming or mariculture,’ he said.
‘There’s a best alternative for nearly every illegal plant or animal product trade. Illegal trade of rhinoceros horns can be replaced by water buffalo horns. Pangolin scales can be replaced by cowherb seeds. Wild-caught exotic pets like birds or herps [reptiles and amphibians] can be replaced by certified captive-bred animals with strict lineage tracking or domestic alternatives. I could go on and on about this, but rest assured that there are best alternatives to everything around us,’ Yan said.