The illegal wildlife trade is one of the key threats to species survival and its regulation and monitoring are dependent on accurate species identification. Plants are particularly difficult to identify which is aggravated when trade parts like stems, roots, etc. are dried and processed. Species identification is key to monitoring, detecting, and regulating wildlife trade but frontline officials and key stakeholders often lack this skill there is limited capacity of enforcement officials and local-level communities involved in trade and conservation. The study will help us understand the context for the occurrence of species misidentification. This will also provide quantitative and qualitative data on the effectiveness of capacity-building interventions. All this will be useful to understand the time period as the best time for memory retention for future intervention. The information will be helpful to improve the knowledge of enforcement bodies regulating harvest and trade, e.g., the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, and forensic agencies.

Partner: The Rufford Foundation

Project period: 2023-2024