MONITORING online trade data and digital forensics are seen as new methods to implement the USAID-funded Palawan project against illegal wildlife trade.

“The illegal wildlife trade still continues, not just in the physical market but especially online, in social media and e-commerce sites,” Project Consultant Emerson Y. Sy told a webinar titled on Wednesday.

Mr. Sy said the project, Breaking the Cycle of Illegal Wildlife Trade in Palawan, is set to run for three years under the Diliman Science Research Foundation. It is supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the INSPIRE (Investing in Sustainability and Partnerships for Inclusive Growth and Regenerative Ecosystems) Project under the Gerry Roxas Foundation.

He said monitoring the online trade is not only for research purposes but also seeks to provide support to law enforcement.

Web trade monitoring refers to an analyst creating a survey and collating information, this can be on a social media platform listing under the surface web, or the dark web.

Among the tools used is artificial intelligence (AI) through the software web scraper.

Meanwhile, fellow project consultant Kester T. Yu said another approach is through digital forensics from captured evidence.

“For those who might say it might be a violation of data privacy, it is actually legal when applied with a cyber warrant or a court order. It is also admissible to court as evidence,” Mr. Yu said.

He also presented a case study of a trader captured two years ago in Palawan after implementing cyber patrolling and leeching online.

“After his arrest, his phone was confiscated, and we applied the cyberwarrant. From that cellphone alone, during the digital forensic examination, we uncovered 18,406 messages,” he added.

Mr. Yu also noted the disparity of monitored trade cases in 2019-2021 between government agencies and the result of their digital forensic examination.

This includes the Philippine National Police (PNP), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the Department of Natural Resources (DENR), the Bureau of Customs (BOR), and the local governments.

In three years, the authorities had 163 wildlife seizures; but Mr. Yu noted how a single trader could trade 169 species on his own.

He also noted the difference in the most common species traded between the two sources. The authorities listed Palawan Hill Myna with 147 heads followed by Philippine Pangolin with 45 heads, and Long-tailed Macaque with 14 heads.

The digital forensic report recorded the Emerald False Gecko with 577 heads topping the list, followed by the Philippine Pit Viper with 376 heads, and the Yellow-headed water monitor with 136 heads captured.

The project used multifaceted strategies for its aim to reduce IWT, he said

It includes identifying the supply chain, a uniform protocol for the chain of custody of confiscated samples, developing information education and communication materials on illegal wildlife trade, and others. — Aubrey Rose Inosante

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