Wildlife experts from seven nations across South Asia have laid the foundation for a South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network that will serve as a coordinated regional response to illegal poaching and trafficking of such species as tigers, leopards and bears.

The experts from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka agreed the structure, functions and operational parameters for the South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network, SAWEN.

South Asia contains a range of habitats of global significance that support a unique array of animal and plant species such as tigers and other Asian big cats, rhinos, marine and freshwater turtles and pangolins. This richness of biodiversity makes the region a target for wildlife poachers and traffickers.

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