UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 21st March 2025
Decoding the new routes of Tiger traders
Why in News:
The resurgence of tiger poaching in India, facilitated by advanced technology, digital transactions, and shifting trafficking routes through Myanmar.
Introduction
- India, home to more than 75% of the world’s tiger population, has long battled poaching and illegal wildlife trade.
- Despite conservation successes, a new-age poaching mafia has emerged, leveraging technology, digital payments, and hawala networks to evade law enforcement.
- The shift from traditional Nepal-Tibet routes to Myanmar has further complicated enforcement efforts.
- Weak institutional capacity, poor inter-agency coordination, and lack of political will hinder effective action against these wildlife crimes.
Changing Trends in Tiger Poaching and Trafficking
- Shift in Trafficking Routes
Historically, tiger parts were smuggled via Nepal and Tibet to meet Chinese market demands. However, post-2020, traffickers increasingly use Myanmar as a major exit channel to China, Vietnam, and possibly Laos.
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- Traditional Routes: Nepalese and Tibetan traffickers used routes via Pithoragarh (Uttarakhand), Maharajganj (UP), and Siliguri (West Bengal) to reach Tibet through Taklakot, Gyirong, and Tatopani.
- New Routes: Post-pandemic, syndicates have realigned towards Myanmar, making it a key exit point for tiger bone and skins.
- Integration of Advanced Technologies
- Poachers use social media and encrypted messaging platforms for coordination.
- Digital transactions, including cryptocurrency and hawala networks, facilitate payments.
- GPS and drone surveillance help track enforcement movements.
- Increased Coordination Among Wildlife Trafficking Networks
- Traditional tiger traders now collaborate with rhino horn smugglers who have long used the northeastern route.
- Syndicates operate across multiple states, exploiting the lack of inter-state coordination among law enforcement agencies.
Institutional Challenges in Tackling Wildlife Crime
- Fragmented Law Enforcement
- Multiple agencies (WCCB, CBI, DRI, state forest departments) operate in silos, lacking coordination.
- State forest departments rarely share intelligence, despite poaching networks spanning multiple states.
- Weak Capacity of Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB)
- Sanctioned strength of only 10 trained wildlife inspectors, with 4 posts vacant.
- Overall, 24% vacancy rate within the bureau.
- Lack of domain expertise among deputed officers from paramilitary forces.
- Low Conviction Rates and Weak Prosecution
- Of 1,400 poaching suspects tracked by WPSI (1992-2005), only 14 convictions were recorded.
- Even when convicted, offenders often return to poaching, as wildlife crime remains a lucrative trade.
- Prosecution remains slow and ineffective, leading to lengthy trials and low deterrence.
Policy Recommendations and the Way Forward
- Strengthening Law Enforcement and Inter-Agency Coordination
- WCCB should be expanded with increased staffing, funding, and training.
- Establish a centralized wildlife crime database for seamless intelligence sharing.
- Enhance coordination between state forest departments, border agencies, and cybercrime units.
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Technology-Driven Anti-Poaching Measures
- AI-based tracking systems to monitor poaching hotspots.
- Drones and satellite surveillance for real-time monitoring of tiger reserves.
- Strengthen cyber monitoring of digital transactions linked to wildlife trade.
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Strengthening Legal Framework and Fast-Tracking Prosecutions
- Amend the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, to increase penalties and introduce minimum sentencing guidelines.
- Establish special fast-track courts for wildlife crime cases.
- Implement strict financial investigations to dismantle wildlife crime funding networks.
- Regional and International Cooperation
- Strengthen transboundary cooperation with Nepal, Myanmar, and China through diplomatic engagement.
- Expand collaboration with INTERPOL, CITES, and regional wildlife enforcement networks.
Conclusion
- India’s tiger conservation success is under serious threat from highly organized poaching syndicates that exploit institutional weaknesses and digital networks.
- To combat this, India needs strong political will, enhanced enforcement capacity, and advanced technological interventions.
- Only through a coordinated, intelligence-driven approach can India secure its tiger population and combat the growing menace of wildlife crime.
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