National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan

The event was organized for dog handlers of the customs services within the framework of the project "Capacity building and assistance in combating crimes against wildlife in Central Asia" of the international organization "Fauna & Flora International" with the assistance of the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change, the Customs Committee, the Global Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network TRAFFIC, the Institute of Zoology of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Kazakhstan Association for Biodiversity Conservation, the EKOMAKTAB Ecological Resource Center, etc. organizations. 

For information: The purpose of the project is to prevent the illegal import or export of animals by air, rail, and other modes of transport. It is based on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or "CITES", adopted in Washington in 1973.

"The seminar is devoted to the importance and effectiveness of training service dogs in the appropriate direction in the fight against illegal trade in wild animals in the region, as well as familiarization with the activities of the center, in particular, with the educational and methodological manual and literature, methods of training service dogs, as well as the study and assessment of knowledge and skills of dog handlers", Abdurashid Sadykov said, Head of the Department of Biodiversity Policy of the Ministry of Ecology.

During the two days, in addition to presenting relevant information and discussing the problems of combating illegal wildlife trade, participants shared technical knowledge and practical tools to effectively combat illegal trade.

Within the framework of the event, a ceremony was also held to transfer a set of odor samples (bookmarks) of vertebrates (reptiles, birds, and mammals) from the CITES lists for training service dogs of the National Cynology Center of the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan. 

It is worth noting that the international project "Capacity Building and Assistance in Combating Crimes Against Wildlife in Central Asia" is the first and progressive form of joint work not only of the Central Asian countries but also of different departments within each country. It unites the administrative potential and resources of the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the environmental protection agency, and the potential of experts and public environmental organizations of the republic.