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Haribon, DENR-BMB, & law enforcement tackle illegal wildlife trade
JULY 10, 2026 | Albert Balbutin, Communications Head
QUEZON CITY — Early July, the Haribon Foundation met with wildlife and law enforcement officers in Quezon City, Davao, and General Santos City to strengthen the fight against the illegal cross-border trade of Indonesian parrots — a trade that conservationists warn threatens not only endangered birds, but public health as well.
Illegal wildlife trade in the Philippines was once tied to physical markets. Not anymore, shares Dr. Esteven Toledo, In-Charge of the Wildlife Rescue Center under DENR-BMB and CITES Wildlife Enforcement Officer.
“Unlike before, masasabi natin na yung mga famous illegal wildlife trade hubs like Cartimar—wala na yun. The greatest challenge now is the illegal wildlife trade on the internet,” Dr. Toledo said.
He also warned that trafficked animals pose a health risk to people, since they skip the health checks required for legally imported wildlife.
“These animals are coming from the wild, and they are not subjected to any health assessment or the usual process of importing or exporting animals. And the risk of zoonotic diseases like sa COVID—there is a potential risk of spreading zoonotic diseases,” he said.
Coordination as a deterrent
The meetings brought together officers from the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Philippine Coast Guard, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Biodiversity Management Bureau (DENR-BMB), and other government partners.
Discussions covered updates on Haribon’s ongoing work to curb the illegal parrot trade, as well as next steps for tackling it together — for the sake of the birds, and for the people on both sides of the border whose safety is also at stake.
For Rjay Serrano, Research Specialist at Haribon, the meetings reinforced a lesson that has shaped the project from the start: no organization can dismantle the trade without help.
“Tackling the illegal parrot trade isn’t something any single organization can do alone. When different groups collaborate, we see better results. More seizures are done, more wildlife traders are being prosecuted,” says Serrano.
“Coordination ensures that law enforcement know what to do from seizure to prosecution, creating a deterrent that makes illegal traders think twice.”
Dr. Toledo added that the public has a role to play too. “Dapat hindi na i-patronize ang pagbili ng illegally collected or traded wildlife. Kasi when the buying stops, the poaching and the hunting will stop as well,” he said.
The illegal parrot trade
The July meetings are part of Haribon’s Tackling Cross-Border Bird Trade: Indonesian Parrots in the Philippines. The project worked with various law enforcement and environment officials across key transport and confiscation points in Luzon and Mindanao.
The illegal wildlife trade is considered the second biggest threat to species survival globally. The smuggling of live Indonesian wildlife — particularly parrots — into the Philippines has been documented for more than three decades, costing the country an estimated $1 billion a year. From 2010 to 2020, more than 67,500 wildlife specimens were confiscated from 523 suspected violators in the Philippines, while 763 birds endemic to Indonesia were seized in 2022 alone.
The project focuses on gathering data on traded species and trade routes, supporting law enforcement, raising awareness, shaping policy recommendations, and strengthening cooperation between the Philippines and Indonesia.
An international effort
Haribon is the Philippine national partner of BirdLife International, the world’s largest nature conservation partnership. Haribon worked closely with its BirdLife partner in Indonesia, Burung Indonesia, to align efforts on both sides of the border where the trade begins and ends.
The project is supported by BirdLife International, March Conservation Fund, and Mandai Nature.
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