Pakistan’s diverse and majestic wildlife, including leopards, bears, Indian pangolins, Indus River dolphins, and numerous resident and migratory bird species, is under constant threat from wildlife crimes such as illegal trade, poaching, hunting, and mistreatment.
In response, the World Wildlife Fund-Pakistan has created a smartphone application designed to allow citizens to report wildlife crimes. This app aims to facilitate coordinated and meaningful actions by government departments and law enforcement agencies to combat these crimes.
WWF-Pakistan’s director-general, Hammad Naqi Khan, stressed the necessity of a collaborative approach to address wildlife crimes, involving government departments, law enforcement agencies, civil society, and local communities.
He highlighted the importance of building capacity, fostering collaboration, raising awareness, and creating enabling conditions that integrate the expertise of AI specialists, conservation experts, and local community members.
The WWF-Pakistan application aims to serve as a platform for wildlife officials, conservation experts, and the public to interact and share valuable information about illegal wildlife activities. Khan stressed that immediate and collective action is vital to combat wildlife crime, as it significantly contributes to the decline of species at local, national, and international levels.
