WEPF is a regional forum of the EAAP for prosecutors handling wildlife and environmental crimes. Its aim is to promote dialogue, learning and regional legal cooperation among prosecutors on this subject.

The Eastern Africa is one of the most biodiverse rich regions of the planet which are often migratory and in transboundary landscapes, with key endangered wildlife species that are under threat from illegal wildlife trade (IWT), which is rife in the region. Countries in the region are highly dependent on tourism and wildlife resources for food and livelihoods with tourism contributing an average of 10% of GDP to EAC member states. The region is also a key logistics hub and corridor for IWT.

Prosecutors are critical in ensuring that the entire criminal justice pathway is harnessed to combat those involved in IWT at a national, regional and international level. There are new laws in the member states for protection of wildlife and prosecutors need to be trained on them as well as training on effective prosecutorial practice against wildlife and environmental crimes. This forum will be a platform to do just that. It will have regionally organised training courses, webinars, legislation, case law and the exchange of best practices. It will also have data on trends on IWT in the region and globally. We hope WEPF serves as a key incentive to contact, assist and learn from one another.

To access the WEPF forum, library and training material log in with your EAAP username and password.