Kota Kinabalu: Conservation experts, enforcement officials, researchers and students convened at the Wildlife Defenders Forum: From the Field to the Digital Frontline last Tuesday to strengthen collaboration against wildlife crime in Sabah, as Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) increasingly shifts to online platforms.
The forum, organised by the Institute of Tropical Biology and Conservation (ITBC), Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), in collaboration with WWF-Malaysia, served as a platform for discussions on conservation challenges, enforcement strategies and monitoring mechanisms, with a particular focus on the growing digital dimension of wildlife trafficking.
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Sabah is home to a rich diversity of endangered species, including the Bornean orangutan, Bornean elephant, Sunda pangolin, Bornean banteng and proboscis monkey – all of which continue to face threats from poaching, illegal trade and habitat loss.
Participants highlighted mounting concerns over the migration of wildlife trafficking activities to digital platforms, which has made detection and enforcement more complex. The shift underscores the need for new tools, strategies and collaborative approaches to monitor and combat online wildlife crime.
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