Bryan Christy

Everyone knows that wildlife law enforcement around the world is terribly underfunded and that hardly any wildlife traffickers ever go to jail.  In The Lizard King, the very motivated Agent Chip Bepler couldn’t get federal prosecutors to take his endangered species cases when they had the NY mafia’s John Gotti to go after. 

I have said it before, but one of my discoveries while researching The Lizard King was that historically the most important innovation in wildlife law enforcement was not more money or more cops, but a committed court.  Perhaps the key step a country can take to reduce environmental crime is to separate environmental prosecutions from other forms of crime. When the US Department of Justice did this it revolutionized wildlife and environmental prosecutions in the US.   Today’s Environmental and Natural Resources Division enables federal wildlife and environmental investigators to take their cases directly to a knowledgeable prosecutor, who can help push a case forward.   In The Lizard King, AUSA Chris McAlilley created a mini-version of the ENRD in the Miami office of the Justice Department and that move ended up key to sending Mike Van Nostrand to prison.

And so it is with this background one should consider this news from Malaysia this week:  “The Environmental Court set up by the judiciary on Sept 3 will start operations on Monday.”  Malaysia is launching Green Courts!   Here is the full story in The Star. 

And lest anyone forget, this effort to create a green court rises in large part from the voice of  Azrina Abdullah, who called for a green court in her editorial November 2010.  The voice of committed individuals can make a difference around the world.  It takes passion and brains, and Azrina Abdullah has both.

That is the headline of this recent article in the Malay Mail.  The Minister is  the head of Malaysia’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and The Lizard King he refers to is Anson Wong. 

The steps taken in the wake of The Lizard King case–legislative reform, administrative reform, the punishment of Anson Wong–are exactly what was needed to begin to clean up Malaysia as a trafficking hub.

What is still missing, however, is action.  Especially by Malaysia’s law enforcement body, Perhilitan.  What the Minister wants the public to believe is that Perhilitan will prevent more Anson Wongs from rising to power.  Alas, a number of major operators are trafficking endangered wildlife in and through Malaysia right now.   Where are those Lizard King Cases, Minister?

Minister Douglas Uggah Embas should have said, We will have many more Lizard King cases–all it takes–until Malaysia has purged itself of illegal wildlife traffickers.

To close out 2010, Foreign Policy asked me for a piece on the Anson Wong case and its implications for international wildlife trade and crime policy.  After spending three years on him for National Geographic (The Kingpin, Jan. 2010) it was a welcome opportunity to reflect on the man, the story, and changes over the past year in Malaysia.  Here’s the Foreign Policy piece (The Serpent King), including some possibly surprising conclusions.  Even if my writing bores you check out these amazing photos…

In Malaysia, to close out 2010, the new Wildlife Conservation Act, which passed in August, has gone into effect, and the wildlife department (PERHILITAN) claims it now has more enforcement officers in the field (though it says that every time there is any mention of wildife trafficking in Malaysia, and never gives supporting figures.)