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Quarterlyprogressreport USAID WILDLIFE ASIA Quarterly Progress Report October 1 to December 31, 2018 Submission Date: January 15, 2019 Contract Number: AID-468-I-16-00001, TO AID-486-TO-16-00003 Contract Period: August 31, 2016 - August 30, 2021 COR Name: Submitted by: Acting Chief of Party RTI International No. 208, 4th Floor, Unit 406, 208 Wireless Road Building Wireless Road, Lumpini, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330 Tel: 662 015 5941-3 Email: This document was produced for review by the United States Agency for International July 2008 1 Development/Regional Development Mission for Asia (USAID/RDMA). USAID WILDLIFE ASIA Quarterly Progress Report October 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018 CONTRACT NO. AID-468-I-16-00001, TO AID-486-TO-16-00003 RTI International 701 13th Street NW Suite 750 Washington, DC 20005 DISCLAIMER: The author's views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. This document is intended to comply with Section 508 Standard of the Federal Acquisition Regulation. If you have any difficulties accessing this document, please contact [email protected]. USAID Wildlife Asia Quarterly Report October-December 2018 3 1. ACTIVITY/MECHANISM OVERVIEW Activity/Mechanism Name: USAID Wildlife Asia Activity/Mechanism Start Date August 31, 2016 - August 30, 2021 and End Date: Name of Prime Implementing RTI International Partner: Contract/Agreement Number: AID-468-I-16-00001, TO AID-486-TO-16-00003 FHI 360, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), Name of Subcontractors: Freeland Foundation and Conservation Council of Nations (CCN), TRAFFIC Major Counterpart AIPA, DNP, DOF, INTERPOL, NED, OAG, PPA, SC, Thai Organizations: PBS, and UNODC1. Geographic Coverage Southeast Asia with a focus on the Lower Mekong (Thailand, (States/Provinces and Lao PDR, Vietnam, Cambodia) and China Countries): Reporting Period: October 1, 2018 – December 31, 2018 The USAID Wildlife Asia Activity is a five-year, regional USAID/RDMA-funded project under the USAID Counter Wildlife Trafficking Activity Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ). The USAID Wildlife Asia Activity (hereafter the “Activity”) is implemented by RTI International. The purpose of this Activity is to improve regional action towards ending wildlife trafficking in Southeast Asia and China. The four main objectives of the USAID Wildlife Activity are to: (1) reduce consumer demand for wildlife parts and wildlife products in target areas; (2) strengthen regional law enforcement capacity and coordination; (3) increase political commitment to addressing Counter Wildlife Trafficking (CWT); and (4) support RDMA’s regional coordination of CWT stakeholders and efforts to strengthen the USG interagency CWT team. The geographic focus of the USAID Wildlife Asia Activity is the Lower Mekong (Thailand, Lao PDR, Vietnam, and Cambodia) and China. 2. ACTIVITY IMPLEMENTATION PROGRESS 2.1 Progress Narrative & Implementation Status Management and personnel Starting FY2019, project progress is continuously made and monitored, and adjustments and corrective actions are undertaken as appropriate. In October, the Chief of Party (COP), left the Activity. To assist with the transition, Senior Director, Learning, Energy, and Environment for Development served as the Acting COP in early October before RTI swiftly recruited as Acting COP starting on October 25. previously served as the Asia Regional Operations 1 ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plants Conservation (Thailand), Department of Forestry (Lao PDR), INTERPOL, Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division (Royal Thai Police), Office of the Attorney General (Thailand), People’s Police Academy (Vietnam), Supreme Court of Thailand, Thai PBS and United Nation Office for Drug and Crime. USAID Wildlife Asia Quarterly Report October-December 2018 4 Director of the RTI regional office in Jakarta. While is an expert in financial management and project operations, she also gained years of experience with environmental and intergovernmental organizations such as WWF and ASEAN Secretariat. On December 3-14, Project Manager, visited the Activity’s Bangkok office to provide technical assistance. Meanwhile, RTI proceeded with the recruitment and hiring process of a new COP. Strong candidates were shortlisted and interviewed. It is expected that the new COP will be on board by February 2019. With Integra no longer the Consortium’s partner, the Technology and Innovation Specialist who was hired under Integra also left USAID Wildlife Asia in the end of FY2018. In maintaining and managing digital tools e.g. the investigator app and the Pangolin Species Identification Guide app, a Request for Proposal (RFP) has been drafted and will be advertised to recruit a technology consultant to fill specific roles required in Quarter 2. RTI management continued to visit and provide support to USAID Wildlife Asia office in Bangkok including Vice President, Learning, Energy, and Environment for Development, in the first week of October. 2.1.1 OBJECTIVE I: REDUCTION OF CONSUMER DEMAND THROUGH SOCIAL AND BEHAVIOR CHANGE COMMUNICATION (SBCC) Strategic Approach 1.1 Reduce consumer demand for wildlife and wildlife products through the use of SBCC Task 1.1 Reduce Consumer Demand in China 1.1.11 Public awareness campaign to intensify the Updated Wildlife Protection Law (WPL) promotion focusing on penalties for consumption overriding all four USAID Wildlife Asia species in Guangzhou Promote Wildlife Protection Law (WPL) Public Service Announcements (PSAs) at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport On December 24, 2018 to March 23, 2019, USAID Wildlife Asia launched a new round of the WPL promotion at the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. The four print PSAs and two versions of 30- PSAs displayed on light boxes in Terminal 1 of Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport USAID Wildlife Asia Quarterly Report October-December 2018 5 second videos are being promoted through light boxes, billboards and LED screens. The period will cover Christmas, New Year and Spring Festival holidays to reach a large volume of domestic and international travelers. Emphasizing the penalties associated with consuming illegal wildlife products (IWP), the PSAs aim to increase the perceived risk arising from the illegal behavior, thus reducing the propensity of current and potential consumers to buy elephant ivory, rhino horn, pangolin products and tiger bone. WPL and “wildlife-products-free” lifestyle promotion in Guangdong Biodiversity Photography Festival On October 18 to November 17, the Activity was invited as a major partner in the first Guangdong Biodiversity Photography Festival with the theme, “I live in Guangdong; I do not eat wildlife”. Guangdong province is famous for its tradition of consuming wildlife as a delicacy. The event was launched in the Shenzhen central business district, Happy Harbor Carnival Square, on October 18 with the participation of government officials, business sector and NGOs. The WPL PSAs were promoted at the Combating Illegal Wildlife Trade section of the event to remind people about the legal implications of consuming IWP. China Wildlife Protection Law (WPL) PSAs in Guangdong Biodiversity Photography Festival Famous nutritionist, delivered lecture on wildlife-products-free lifestyle in Overseas Chinese Town Wetland National Park. WPL short video was shown at the lecture. In addition, a social media key opinion leader (KOL) and nutritionist gave a lecture on a “wildlife-products-free” lifestyle to more than 160 participants. The WPL video was also shown at the lecture. USAID Wildlife Asia Quarterly Report October-December 2018 6 WPL promotion in Guangzhou Zoo The Activity successfully leveraged Guangzhou Zoo’s support to promote the WPL campaign. The WPL short video was broadcasted on 10 LED screens in the zoo starting November 2018 and will continue until the end of January 2019. The zoo estimated that the video will gain nearly 1.5 million visitor impressions. The third largest zoo in China, Guangzhou Zoo, is an important venue for educating citizens in Guangdong on illegal wildlife trafficking and conservation. WPL promotion in Guangzhou zoo Online Survey focusing on awareness and effectiveness of WPL Campaign in Year 2 To evaluate the effectiveness of WPL Campaign’s dissemination in Year 2, the team conducted an online survey on October 13-19 through IFAW’s official WeChat account. A total of 411 eligible responses to the questionnaire was collected and analyzed. The survey results are summarized as follows: • The majority (93.5 percent) agreed that it was unacceptable for their family and friends to buy or own endangered wildlife products. Seven in ten (70.1 percent) thought it was completely unacceptable. None of those who have seen the campaign ads indicated that it was acceptable for their family and friends to buy or own these products. • Close to one third (30.4 percent) have seen the WPL campaign PSAs. The top five channels through which they were seen are WeChat, public sector venues such as the zoo/library/museum, metro, Weibo and video websites. The metro, social media platforms (WeChat and Weibo) and video websites are also the top three channels recommended by respondents for delivering campaign messages. • The WPL messages did not only increase people’s knowledge of the WPL (76.6 percent) but also encouraged them to warn their family members and friends about the risk of wildlife crime (56.9 percent) and
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