PASIGHAT, 25 Aug: Around 40 frontline forest personnel from the territorial and wildlife divisions of Pasighat benefitted from a workshop on 'wildlife article identification' held here in East Siang district on Monday.

The workshop aimed at strengthening the capacity of frontline forest personnel to identify commonly traded wildlife and wildlife articles and detect illegal wildlife trade.

During the workshop, Officer-in-Charge of Wildlife Crime Control Division, WTI, Monesh Singh Tomar briefed the participants on wildlife crime and the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Guwahati (Assam)-based Eastern Region WCCB Assistant Director Nippon Baisnab conducted a session on the identification of commonly traded wildlife articles.

WCCB Eastern Region Head Constable Robin Borah assisted in demonstrating original wildlife articles, providing participants with hands-on experience in identifying wildlife specimens and derivatives.

Earlier, the workshop was jointly inaugurated by Territorial Division DFO Boken Pao and Wildlife Division DFO Kempi Ete.

Pao in his address said that frontline personnel are often the first to encounter wildlife crime in the field. He said developing their ability to identify wildlife articles and understand trafficking methods is important for effective enforcement. "Such training will strengthen our preparedness to prevent wildlife crime in the region," Pao said.

Tomar said, "Correct identification of wildlife articles is a critical first step in detecting wildlife crime. Pasighat is strategically important due to its connectivity with upper Arunachal Pradesh, and strengthening the capacity of the frontline staff here can help in early detection of illegal wildlife movement."

The workshop was organised by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), in collaboration with the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) and the Environment, Forest and Climate Change Department, with support from the Wildlife Conservation Network's Pangolin Crisis Fund.

Retired DCF Tana Tapi, retired DFO Tashi Mize, and honorary wildlife warden Talut Siram were also present during the workshop.