Midterm Review of Efforts to Enhance Law Enforcement Capacity to Combat the Illegal Wildlife Trade in Indonesia and the Asia-Pacific region.

What We Did: The evaluation team tailored the UNDP guidelines for terminal evaluations and undertook data collection through semi-structured interviews with a total of 28 individuals virtually due to COVID-19 restrictions. Additionally, the evaluation team deployed a questionnaire to hone in on different facets of the project cycle, and also undertook an extensive review of project and programme documentation. Deliverables included an inception report / presentation on the proposed methodology and timelines, a presentation of preliminary findings and recommendations, an interim report and a final evaluation report which also included an audit trail of how comments were addressed.

‍Objective: In Indonesia, the race is on to halt the illegal wildlife trade and stop the loss of globally significant biodiversity. Wildlife crime has reached critical proportions and is threatening numerous species with localized extinctions. The US$ 52M “Combatting Illegal and Unsustainable Trade in Endangered Species in Indonesia” was designed to help the different branches of government to work in an integrated manner to reduce the volume of unsustainable wildlife trade and the rate of loss of globally significant biodiversity in Indonesia and East and South-East Asia. The project aims to support the Indonesian government's transformation efforts to combat illegal wildlife trade by strengthening the legal framework and enforcement capacity, enhancing the protection of threatened species, and reducing consumer demand for illegal wildlife products. The project also aims to promote sustainable livelihoods for local communities and increase public awareness about the impacts of illegal wildlife trade on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Overall, the project seeks to reduce the illegal trade in wildlife in Indonesia and improve the conservation and sustainable management of its biodiversity. The project is also part of the GEF Global Wildlife Programme led by the World Bank and implemented in 19 countries in Africa and Asia.