Staff Correspondent

 Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Abdul Awal Mintoo, MP, on Thursday emphasized the urgent need for robust regional intelligence sharing, coordinated law enforcement, and joint operations across South Asia to combat transboundary and organized wildlife crime.

Addressing the First General Assembly of the South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN) in Kathmandu, Nepal, the minister noted that wildlife and ecosystems transcend political borders, while transnational criminal syndicates exploit frontiers, transport networks, commercial channels, online platforms, and financial systems to traffic wildlife.

He stressed that law enforcement initiatives must extend beyond seizures and arrests to identify, investigate, and dismantle the masterminds, financiers, and networks operating behind wildlife trafficking. 

Highlighting technological and financial countermeasures, the minister advocated for cyber investigations, digital evidence utilization, and online monitoring to curb web-based wildlife trade. He called for applying anti-money laundering frameworks, financial investigations, and asset tracing under national laws to address major wildlife offenses.

Endorsing the SAWEN Strategic Plan 2026–2030, Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo affirmed Bangladesh's commitment to supporting a structured regional framework focused on intelligence sharing, criminal justice, digital and financial investigations, capacity building, and demand reduction.

The conference was attended by Speaker of the House of Representatives of Nepal Devraj Ghimire, Nepal's Minister for Agriculture, Forest and Environment Geeta Choudhary, SAWEN Secretary General Dr. Krishna Prasad Acharya, alongside delegates from Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Pakistan, Maldives, Bangladesh, and international organizations.