South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN) is a regional intergovernmental organization comprising eight South Asian countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. It was officially launched in 2011 in Paro, Bhutan, to address the growing transnational wildlife trade in South Asia and beyond, emphasizing the need for stronger regional cooperation in combating wildlife crime.
Since its establishment, SAWEN has been working to combat wildlife crime in the region and beyond from its secretariat in Kathmandu, Nepal.
The SAWEN Statute has outlined its vision, goals, and objectives as follows:
Vision
SAWEN is hereby established as a regional intergovernmental body to combat wildlife crime in the region and beyond.
Goal
Strengthening wildlife law enforcement to combat wildlife crime through communication, coordination, collaboration, capacity building, and cooperation.
Objectives
The following objectives are intended to achieve SAWEN’s goal:
a) To take initiatives for bringing harmonization and standardization in laws and policies of member countries concerning conservation of wild fauna and flora,
b) To document the trend of poaching and illegal wildlife trade, and related threats to the natural biodiversity within and across countries in the region,
c) To strengthen institutional responses to combat wildlife crime by promoting partnership with relevant institutions for research and information sharing, training and capacity building, and technical support, and
d) To encourage member countries to prepare and implement their National Action Plans to combat wildlife crime and to collaborate effective implementation of such plans.