Customs and border officers in Kyrgyzstan haven’t traditionally focused on the smuggling of animals and plants, even though conservationists say the country is a transit point in Central Asia’s illegal wildlife trade. Backed by international expertise, Kyrgyzstan’s government is working to change that in a campaign that supporters hope will foster more regional collaboration.
“We recognize that this work must be done step by step; we cannot build everything at once,” said Bakytbek Tokubek uulu, Central Asia program manager of TRAFFIC, a Britain-based conservation group.
Some species considered to be vulnerable to illegal commerce in Central Asia include Saker falcons, coveted in the Middle East for falconry; Central Asian tortoises, which are smuggled as exotic pets; Saiga antelopes, whose horns are used in traditional medicine; and Argali sheep and Marco Polo sheep, which are hunted for trophies.
For the first time, Central Asia recently hosted the main meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, a United Nations entity also known as CITES. The conference in Uzbekistan, which ended on December 5, drew delegates from around the world and raised awareness in the region about the legal and illegal wildlife trade and protections for tens of thousands of species of animals and plants.
At a presentation during the meeting, the TRAFFIC conservation group described a new electronic database that Kyrgyzstan will use in an effort to detect and prevent wildlife smuggling. The database rollout, which followed training workshops in Bishkek over the summer, will help officials with wildlife checks, including verification of CITES permits, that were sometimes overlooked by officers more involved in searching for weapons and explosives.
Law enforcement officers in Kyrgyzstan during wildlife database training. Photo: Bakytbek Tokubek uulu/TRAFFIC.
The database will record wildlife smuggling cases, making it easier to spot suspicious conduct, and outline ways to identify animal parts and what documents are needed for import and export. Fauna & Flora, another Britain-based NGO, is also involved in the project overseen by Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision. It is funded by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.
“In the future, we envision all Central Asian governments having their own electronic CITES databases, enabling them to issue and track CITES permits online,” Tokubek uulu, the regional TRAFFIC manager, said in written responses to questions from The Times of Central Asia.
“Ultimately, our long-term goal is for all Central Asian countries to operate interconnected systems that share data in real time and enable coordinated, rapid responses like it is at TWIX,” he said.
TWIX, which stands for Trade in Wildlife Information eXchange, is an online platform, currently in operation in Europe and Africa, that allows law enforcement agencies to share information across borders as they track wildlife smuggling.
Some law enforcement officers at the summer training in Kyrgyzstan said they weren’t previously familiar with the CITES permit system, according to TRAFFIC.
“The shift in mindset takes time: officers need repeated exposure, practical examples from the region, and clear guidance on what to look for operationally. However, each session builds a bit more awareness, and you can see the change as participants start asking more concrete questions about detection, enforcement powers, and procedures,” Tokubek uulu said.
“So yes, progress is being made, but it will continue to require sustained reinforcement, practical case studies, and ongoing collaboration with law enforcement agencies to fully embed wildlife crime within their routine enforcement priorities.”
