The People’s Democratic Republic of Laos is a small country in Southeast Asia, landlocked and surrounded by Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, and China. During the time of the war in Vietnam, Laos was also engaged in a civil upheaval; the political influence of China pushed and vanquished the ruling Monarchy. In the transition, Russia and China had a strong influence on political and operational decisions.
Eventually, Laos opened to influences from the West, and the country attracted international aid from countries including Japan, Australia, Germany and the USA. Projects focused on economic development, forest and wildlife protection and the rule of law.
Around 2010, the World Bank commenced a multi-tiered project to harness hydroelectric energy, improve the health and welfare of Laos as a country under development, and establish protections for the country’s old-growth forests and the numerous species of wildlife that were undefended targets for Asian poachers.
A ground support initiative to provide governance to the World Bank project was created by the Laos Government; 300 existing forestry personnel were transferred to form a new Department of Forest Inspection (DOFI). DOFI was tasked with a mandate to create and action viable law enforcement initiatives in support of the new forest and wildlife laws.
During this period, I was contracted by the World Bank to conduct a review of DOFI and make recommendations for its short- and long-term law enforcement capacity building.
The paradox of this new governance structure was that the majority of forest and wildlife deprivation was being carried out by influential Lao families, driven and paid for by government and non-government agents in (mostly) Vietnam and China.
And the reality was, officials up and down the internal government structures invariably shared in the spoils of the illegal logging trade.
For centuries, and within their closed borders, these practices were culturally ingrained and politically complex.
So while the Lao Government supported the creation of increased forest and wildlife enforcement, none of DOFI officers could act unilaterally against an offender without being told to do so by their Ministry hierarchy.
In 2010, I was contracted by the World Bank to start implementing the recommendations made from the program review that I conducted previously. This led to subsequent contracts over the course of the next 10 years.
Free the Bears (A Case Study)
The “Sun” or “Moon” bear is indigenous to Laos and has a storied history of being held captive as a pet or in, for example, a quasi-zoo enclosure attached to a restaurant or entertainment venue. Usually confined to restrictive cages and poorly kept, the owners of these bears considered it culturally acceptable to have animals of any species in their possession.
More disturbingly, multiple bears in captivity throughout Laos were being kept drugged; their livers catheterized to collect “bile”. The Bile, when processed, was distributed and used as an expensive Chinese medicine. Traditionally used to stimulate or repair sexual dysfunction, very few of the prescribed benefits were backed by scientific findings.
Many times, DOFI was criticized for not taking enforcement action against these illegal (but sanctioned) acts of cruelty, especially those operating on a commercial scale. Many times, I and my British colleague Bill (we were called the 2-Bills) were in the crosshairs of donor criticism for not pushing DOFI to act.
Our solution? To form a coalition of experts, not to attempt to change the ingrained culture that permitted the cruel wildlife practices, but to target the behaviour of those engaged in it. Our thinking was that if we can show quick changes in behaviour, the change in culture will slowly evolve.
Technical advisers from established international organizations such as the World Bank, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) partnered with a collective of Government Departments including DOFI, Laos Customs, the Environmental Police, the Army, the Office of the Public Prosecutor and others.
This coalition approach removed the responsibility of any one department backed by any one donor agency pushing against the political “establishment.”
Progress was slow. The coalition’s early success came from the support of progressive provincial Governors who called for and supported enforcement action through the coalition. Slowly, selected farms were shut down, and wildlife markets selling bear parts were closed.
And while the behaviour has significantly changed (bear seizures and rescues have increased) the culture is slow to follow (some bear bile “farms” have been grandfathered).
So what about the bears?
Free the Bears is an international organization that operates the largest moon and sun bear sanctuary network in Southeast Asia and has supported the rescue of more than 1,000 bears from bile farms, illegal wildlife trade and other forms of exploitation. (Source: www.freethebears.org)
Free to live their lives in sanctuary with others of their kind.
On many occasions, while I was in SE Asia, altruistic visitors would sit in our office and complain about the practice and cruelty to these animals and others. Forgetting that in the history of North America, monkeys danced on chains in New York City and circuses held captive animals, in many times, in poor conditions, for the entertainment of others.
Our culture changed, and so too will the culture of Laos and other countries engaged in similar practices.
Step-by-step.