April 22, 2021 6:12 PM
The fight against wildlife trafficking, illegal fishing and unauthorized logging is being strengthened in the country. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced on April 22, 2020 that it will collaborate with the State Attorney General’s Office in combating this type of activity that endangers the flora and fauna of Ecuador.
To address these issues, a specialized unit will be designed and implemented in the Office of the Prosecutor for wildlife crimes. USAID will provide technical assistance, as part of the project Strengthening the Governance of Natural Resources in Ecuador, and the World Wide Fund for Nature Ecuador (WWF) will support this work.
Through this unit, the aim is to stop activities such as the trafficking of Galapagos tortoises and containing the massive export of shark fins. Another initiative is to strengthen its IT infrastructure.
Michael J. Fitzpatrick, United States Ambassador to Ecuador, says that the protection of the environment has become a central issue in the public policy, both internal and external, of the United States Government. In addition, he affirmed that President Joe Biden has committed himself to the fight against climate change.
Among the initiatives carried out by the United States Embassy and Consulate in Ecuador will be the training of 10 prosecutors. Two of those participating will be focused on environmental crime management issues and eight will be focused on the fight against wildlife trafficking.
Read the original coverage from El Comercio at https://www.elcomercio.com/tendencias/ecuador-eeuu-trafico-vida-silvestre.html
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