Global Problem Statements 1:

Organization: ​Vulcan and the Kalahari Conservation Society

Overview: ​Local communities play a critical role in conserving and protecting wildlife. In
areas where people and wildlife coincide, conflicts between the two (e.g. livestock depredation
or crop-raiding) can threaten public support for conservation and fuel poaching. Finding ways to
encourage the sustainable use of natural resources, reduce human-wildlife conflict, and empower
safe, effective reporting of illegal wildlife activities can promote conservation outcomes and
reduce incentives for wildlife trafficking.

Problem Statement 1: Establish a path for local communities to report illegal wildlife
activities to appropriate authorities.

Challenge Overview: ​We believe that incidents may be happening that are not being reported or
are reported long after the incident happens. Help communities and wildlife stay safe by:
• Assessing how communities are reporting incidents today and understanding what
works and what doesn't.
• Finding better ways for communities to report illegal wildlife activities to authorities
(via text messages, etc.).
• Helping authorities respond to incidents more quickly (build categories and a
prioritisation system).
• Building a way for authorities to report the number, types of incidents, and time to
resolution.

Resources:
• WildWatch​,​ by Leopard Tech Labs, is a Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) mitigation
and tracking app
• WILD app​,​ by iLabAfrica, aggregates data on HWC and poaching with ​video
overview.
• BoostHQ​,​ by SkyPrep, allows for the distribution of best practices, lessons learned, and
idea sharing more broadly.
• Find more conservation apps ​here

Global Problem Statement 2:

•
Organization: ​TRAFFIC India

Title: ​Use of blockchain technology for tracking supply of Forest based products.

Overview:
Natural resources are crucial to our existence. While their sustainable harvest can
support better quality of life for humans, their irrational exploitation might lead to
irreparable damage to the entire ecosystem. It is hence often tried by various
mechanism to regulate the careful use of these resources. However, establishing the
source of origin (legal or illegal) of these products is the major challenges especially as
these products pass through a long chain of custody, often extending over several
countries. Blockchains which were originally developed for foolproof tracking of
cryptocurrencies are now considered as a potential tool to track movement of various
products across multiple channels. It is believed that using this technology, legally
sourced Forest products, can be identified with certainty and trafficking of illegally
procured forest based product can be checked.

The Problem:
Reports suggest an increase in the demand for wood/timber and other forest based
products, mainly due to improving economic conditions, is leading to illegal
exploitation for these products from nature. To meet this increased demand, illegal
felling is being undertaken which is then transported along with the legal timber. As a
result, under the garb of legal wood/timber or forest based product, these illegally
procured products enter the supply chain. The results are horrifying.
Many of the tropical countries feature prominently among the top nations which
reported high net loss of annual forest area in the world for e.g. between 2010 and 2015
– i.e. Indonesia, which lost 684,000 hectares of forest area at a rate of 1% per annum,
and Myanmar, which lost 546,000 hectares of forest area at a rate of 2% per annum
(​FAO, Global Forest Resources Assessment, 2015)​ ​. Additionally, in 2014, few
South-east Asian countries– i.e. Cambodia, Vietnam and Malaysia – clocked among the
fastest rates of acceleration of tree cover loss in the world. (​Global Forest Watch, 2015.
http://www.wri.org/news/2015/09/releasenewglobal-data-findstropical-forestsdeclining
-overlooked-hotspots)​ . The beautiful Amazon forests also face the threat of illegal
felling mainly to meet unstainable demand of forest produce.

Considering the ambiguity of mixing of legal and illegal supplies, even large reputable
timber and timber-based product companies and their related supply chain participants
wish to demonstrate unquestionable credibility of their supply chain. This presents an
opportunity in digitalizing supply steps and offer demonstrable proof and product
integrity to the end consumer.

Hence a widespread utilization of this technology will facilitate in checking the illegal
unreported and unregulated transfer of Forest Produce and will ultimately lead to
curbing of unwanted deforestation. It will also bring about transparency in the
supply-chain of commodities where these products are being used, leading to more
sustainable forest and also better remuneration to those dealing with legal productions
and supply.

The Challenge:
Looking at an open and transparent technology such as blockchain, where in the forest
produce of legal origins, can be traced from the source (site of harvest) to the end use
product in the market.

Audience: From enforcement agencies, traders, manufactures and consumer

Criteria:
Audience: Wildlife enforcement agencies such as Forest, Police, Customs and Port
Authorities, regulatory authorities such as CITES Management Authorities.
Traders and Manufactures: All trades who use forest produce and manufactures
Consumer: Local consumers who buy the commodity or product which is
developed.

Data Sets and Other Resources:

A similar tool has been developed and being used for tracing of tuna harvest in the
pacific.
 https://safety4sea.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/DNV-GL-Deloitte-Blockchain-in-t
heseafood-industry-Increasing-transparency-and-efficiency-in-global-seafood-supply-c
hains2019_03.pdf

Global Problem Statement 3:

Organization: ​CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild flora

and fauna)

Title: ​Tracking CITES-listed e-commerce in plants

The Problem:
CITES regulates trade in entire plant, or parts, extracts or derivatives of ca. 30.000 plant species.
Ca. 1.000 of these species have medicinal uses. For each species, international trade in entire live
or dead plants is permitted only with an accompanying CITES permit. Trade in parts, extracts,
derivatives of these species may also be regulated. Which parts, extracts and derivatives (i.e.
specimen) are regulated is specified in an annotation (#1-17), that accompanies the listing for
each species. If there is no annotation, this means that all parts, extracts and derivatives can only
be internationally traded if accompanied by an appropriate permit.

However, it can be observed that CITES-regulated specimen of many CITES-listed species, and
especially medicinal ones, are easily available on various e-commerce platforms, such as
Amazon and eBay. If traded internationally, such offers would need accompanying CITES
permits, which mostly does not seem to be the case. Yet, constant monitoring would be required
to understand the scale of this trade, which would also be a precondition for effective
enforcement of CITES regulations. Ultimately, it remains unclear, whether this trade constitutes
a threat to the survival of some of these 1,000 medicinal plant species in the wild.

Both Amazon and eBay have initiated efforts to recognize offers being made in their systems
that entail regulated wildlife products in certain animal species, such as ivory, or rhino horn. Yet,
there do not exist, to date, algorithms that are capable of recognizing offers for products
containing any out of the multitude of CITES-listed (medicinal) plant species.

The Challenge:
The challenge is to develop algorithms that are capable to automatize the search for products
containing CITES-listed plant specimen on eBay, Amazon, or comparable e-commerce
platforms. While algorithms using picture recognition technology seem a distant option, the
variety of products, and the similarity of many plant species suggest a different strategy. Species
search by their names in product descriptions, or titles is a straightforward task, since ecommerce
platforms are designed for it. The scientific names of all CITES-listed species are available in
html format​ ​and ​database format​.​ However, many products containing CITES-listed specimen
may be promoted without reference to their scientific names, using only colloquial,
pharmaceutic, or trade names. This is especially true for CITES-listed medicinal plant species,
which usually have a long and varied traditional of human exploitation. Many such
non-scientific synonyms are available through the web portal of the ​medicinal plant names
service​,​ which also links to their respective scientific names. Hence, the successful tool matching
this challenge will need to make a “triangular” link between any of the two sources that specify
CITES-listed species, check whether these are contained in the database of the medicinal plant
names service, of so, retrieve their non-scientific synonym names, and search e-commerce
platforms for products advertised using any of these names. Results should be presented in
tabular for by scientific name. Ideally, the tool would be able to run autonomously for constant
monitoring. In this early stage of development, it is NOT expected to classify whether offered
products actually contain any plant material, nor to take into account CITES annotations (e.g. a
painting of a CITES-listed plant species might be advertised using the scientific plant name, but
without any material that would be subject to CITES regulation. Likewise, products that contain
parts, extracts or derivatives of CITES-listed plant species that fall under CITES regulation do
not need to be distinguished from those not covered by the species’ annotation).

Criteria:
• Ability to link three databases for an efficient search algorithm: 1) Database containing
CITES-listed plant species, medicinal plant names service to retrieve trade or
pharmaceutical names, an e-commerce platform to monitor offer for products that are
advertised using any of the retrieved names.
• Clear and straightforward presentation of results, e.g. in tabular form (csv or similar).
• Use of non-specialist or freeware IT technology.
• Easy and semi-autonomous implementation that can be repeatedly or continuously used
by non-specialist staff in the CITES Secretariat.
 • Ability add in future extensions that allow more in-depth analyses (e.g. picture
recognition or text analysis tool to distinguish products that very obviously do NOT
contain any actual plant materials (paintings etc.).

Data Sets and Other Resources:

CITES appendices and annotation for each species in html

CITES appendices and annotation for each species in database format
Medicinal Plant Names Service
Ebay
Amazon

Global Problem Statement 4:

Organization: ​Wildlife Conservation Society

Problem Statement POC: ​Christian Plowman ​cplowman@wcs.org

Title: ​Avoiding Compromise in Counter-Wildlife Trafficking (CWT) Investigations

The Problem:
Many NGO’s in small geographical spaces or regions are conducting research and/or
investigations into the illegal wildlife trade (IWT) and engaging in counter-wildlife trafficking
(CWT) activities. Traditionally, these organizations are unwilling to share the information
openly for reasons ranging from fear of potential corruption to simple egoism. Often the lack of
a centralized hub or point of contact is cited as a reason for non-sharing of information.
Inevitably, this leads to situations where different, disparate NGO’s are engaging in activities
which are focusing on the same areas, organizations, activities or individuals, unbeknown to one
another.

Several organizations working on the same ‘objective’, especially from an investigative or

intelligence perspective, can lead to physical compromise, harm or operational/reputational
damage, and there are human risks to staff, investigators, members of the public and the subjects
themselves. This is illustrated in the following genuine (but necessarily sanitized) examples:

• Example 1:​ WCS were conducting enquiries into a suspected pangolin scale
trafficker in Congo
• The presence and actions of another NGO (benign and well-intentioned) caused a
reaction amongst a criminal organisation and their associates
• This reaction prompted a potentially harmful (and risky) environment for an
investigator who was deployed in that environment
• Only thanks to astute actions and comprehensive training and support was operational
compromise avoided

• Example 2:​ A local NGO in Malawi were engaged in long term covert
investigations into organized ivory trafficking
• Interpol agents, unaware of this activity, conducted overt policing and enforcement
enquiries into one of the traffickers
• This alerted the trafficker to law enforcement interest, potentially compromising the
operation and the safety of NGO investigators and staff

The Challenge:

To create a simple text-based, secure app which will enable NGOs and/or partner organizations
to ‘flag’ projects or entities (i.e. places, persons, vehicles etc) which they have an operational
interest in.

The app should have a simple search, flag or delete option.

The app should be compatible with a wide variety of OS and devices

The app requires login/security credentials, perhaps linked to a specific cell number

Explanatory:
Flagging an entity (an individual, vehicle, location, address, phone number etc) is a concept used
by law enforcement and intelligence agencies. It allows a ‘marker’ or a ‘flag’ to be placed
against an entity, so that other agencies/organisations are aware of the interest This enables the
agencies to liaise with one another in order to remove or siminish any opportunity of
compromise or ‘blue-on-blue’.

It should work, in principle, thus:

◼ NGOs would have access to a simple GUI app

◼ Access would be restricted with specific access requirements (as per criteria)
◼ The app would enable NGOs to conduct a generic search of the database for a particular
entity
◼ A positive search would merely provide contact details for the other organization (the
‘flag holder’) NOT any information about the specific investigation or activity
◼ The app would also enable NGOs to place flags on particular entities (the ‘flag’ function)
◼ Flags would expire after a certain amount of time (the ‘delete’ function)

In the following examples, it should function like so:

Example using a location ‘entity’:

◼ The following scenario is fictional although organizations, locations and names are real:
◼ NGO Wildlife Crime Prevention (WCP) based in Zambia, are conducting intelligence
enquiries in the town of Petauke
◼ The accredited Wildflag© user at WCP is Graeme Ellis
◼ Graeme accesses the Wildflag© app, and ‘flags’ ‘’Petauke, zambia’’ as being of interest
to WCP
◼ Some days later, NGO WWF wishes to deploy researchers into Petauke, to ascertain the
level of trade in illegal big cat furs – to avoid any compromise with other NGOs, WWF
access Wildflag©, and search for ‘’cat furs’’ and ‘’Petauke’’
◼ This search yields a positive result, namely a results screen stating ‘‘Positive flag
12/08/2019 – please contact WCP Graeme Ellis – ​graeme.ellis@wcp.org​’’
◼ No operational info is given
◼ WWF should now contact Graeme Ellis at WCP, to ensure ​their​ activity will not
compromise ​his ​enquiries
◼ There remains ​no need to share any sensitive information​, and there is no obligation on
either party to take any action –​ although a side-​benefit is the potential for greater
contact and collaboration between NGOs

Criteria:

◼ NGOs and organizations would need to sign up to standard operating procedures and
MOU to ensure sustainability of the app
 ◼ Access would have to be limited (perhaps to certified/ex-LE personnel only) and
minimised (maybe a maximum of 2-3 individuals per organisation?)
◼ Data should only be stored as text, thus minimal storage requirements
◼ Cloud-based storage
◼ Storage should be secure (Microsoft Azure?)

Potential sticking points:

◼ Access to the app needs to be restricted (only certain individuals within organizations,
vetted IWT/CWT professionals etc)
◼ Data processing needs to comply with relevant laws
◼ Data needs to be deleted and not retained after a certain amount of time
◼ App should be free
◼ App needs to be administered
◼ App needs to have as little information as possible therein
◼ Wildflag© needs to be an obligatory/mandatory element of due diligence and
preoperational planning, including benign research activities - not limited to intelligence
or investigative work

Global Problem Statement 5

Organization: Wildlife SOS

Problem Statement POC: Gargi Sharma (gargi@wildlifesos.org)

Title: Tracking Captive Elephants of India

The Problem:

Live elephant trade is a common practice with Asian elephants, which are traded for a myriad of
cultural activities across south Asian countries. India, home to over 50% of the Asian elephant
population, too is famous for its tradition of captive elephants that spans over centuries. While in
the past captivity of elephants was revered, today it reflects a sad picture of wildlife law
enforcement in India.

The recent census conducted by Project Elephant pegged the population of captive elephants at
2,454. 1,687 such elephants covered in the census were found in private captivity. However,
there were blaring issues that surfaced once the census concluded such as lack of ownership for
about 664 elephants. As mandated by the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 all captive elephants
should have an ownership certificate issued by the Chief Wildlife Warden of the state where the
elephant was, in 2003. CWLW is able to issue ownership certificates if the owner is able to
prove that it has adequate facilities and means to keep the elephant under care. Furthermore, for
an elephant to move inter-state, permission from the home state CWLW and the destination
CWLW are needed for the prescribed timeframe. Similarly, veterinary report from a government
veterinarian should be attached that deems the elephant fit for the travel.

Moreover, the census also brought into light other discrepancies such as the underreporting of
the number of elephants in a state. With many privately-owned elephants in states of Uttar
Pradesh, Assam and Bihar now unemployed, they act as critical supply for states such as
Rajasthan, Kerala and Karnataka, where they are in high demand for cultural activities. Before
the ban in 2015, Sonepur Mela in Bihar served as a hub for elephant trading, where purchasers
would pay hefty sums to have elephants ‘gifted’ to them. Due to the
‘declaration-inquiry-ownership’ method laid down; the registration of purchased elephants is
easy too. In fact, sometimes paperwork for dead captive elephants, are used to guise new
elephants. As there are no provisions for the periodic renewal of ownership certificates,
elephants simply disappear into background thereafter. Moreover, this lack of enforcement on
ground has given leeway to trans-boundary trade across the porous borders of Nepal, Myanmar
and Bangladesh from the states of Bihar, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, which is in violation of
CITES as Asian elephants are included in Appendix I.

As domestic trade of live elephants is a reality in India, an elephant changes many hands
throughout its lifetime. It is thus important to create an inventory and tracking tool that helps
enforcement agencies to access the life history of captive elephants. The tool should be able to
tell the status of ownership, home state of the elephant and the permissions to travel. Veterinary
records and other relevant permissions can help create a history of the elephant. Furthermore,
beyond the mandatory microchip numbers, photos and videos should also act as an identification
to detect old elephant ownerships.

The Challenge:
The challenge is to create tools that help develop an inventory of captive elephants within India.
As it is theoretically possible to track the movement and history of captive elephants within the
country due to the rules laid down in the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, a digital tool would
smoothen out such tracking which is currently flawed due to the cumbersome paper trails. Such a
tool would improve accuracy, identify offenders and smoothen enforcement.

Consider creating tools that will contribute to the tracking, data gathering, monitoring of analysis
of captive elephants within India. Tools should focus around creating an inventory and tracking
of captive elephants within India, answering questions such as:

● How do we create a “life history” for an individual from multiple input sources?
● How do we identify an individual animal from many input sources such as paperwork,
and photos and images?
● How do we track the ‘legal’ movement of the elephant?
● How do we create a system that directly alerts enforcement agencies when an elephant is
moved into the state without permission?
● How do we use the “life history” to create a network of trade routes and identify illicit
channels?
● How do we use these tools to identify intervention areas (illegal traders, poor animal
husbandry, owners without permits) or hotspots to focus conservation efforts including
entries and exits from a region?
● How do we identify animals that are unreported through legal channels, in order to create
a document record for them?

Criteria:

ALLOW IMPORT OF DATA FROM MANY SOURCES

Initial information would rely on the available data from various Forest Departments, and
qualified sanctuaries and zoos. The format of the mandated papers can vary greatly- such as
PDFs, JPEGs, MS Word Files.

USABILITY AND USER EXPERIENCE

The tool should be easily accessible to a layman who would use the tool to search for the
particular captive elephant. The tool should act as updatable inventory to enable a person to find
information about the origin of the elephant, its status of ownership, list of permissions sought
and granted, and its last known location (with date.)

UNIQUE ID
The tool should be able to assign a unique id to its respective users, so that any upgrades to the
information about the elephant can be traced to them.
Furthermore, the access should be different for CWLWs who have the authority to issue
ownership certificates, transit permits and No Objection Certificates.

DATE & LOCATION CONTEXTUAL INFO

Date and time should be considered mandatory metadata for new inputs. GPS location should be
highly prioritized, and further data fields to give context to the entry should exist and be
standardized where possible.

ALERT SYSTEMS
Automatically the officials of the concerned state should be alerted about the movement of an
elephant within their state, as and when it is updated on the system by an official.

LANGUAGE AND ACCESSIBILITY

Ideally the tool should be accessible in more than two languages. As the tool will be used on
field, it should support usability on mobile, low-bandwidth, older operating systems and by
people of varying comfort with computer programs.

Data Sets and Other Resources:

Wildlife SOS can provide photographs of 10 elephants mentioned in the report. Other relevant
information can be gathered from the below published report:

https://www.avant8.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/AWBI-Report.pdf