Court Monitoring Court monitoring continues to play a critical role in ensuring effective species preservation and conservation through the law. LAPA’s continuous presence in the courtrooms for the past ten (10) years has proven important as we have witnessed an incremental change in how wildlife law continues to be implemented and enforced.
Court Monitoring is key as it can be used as a tool for: • Transparency and Accountability: Monitors act as independent observers, holding the justice system accountable for handling wildlife crimes fairly and efficiently. This discourages corruption and ensures all parties receive a fair trial. • Data Collection: Monitored data on wildlife cases provides valuable insights. It reveals trends in wildlife crime, exposes weaknesses in prosecution, and identifies areas for improvement in legal processes. • Deterrence: Knowing their cases are being monitored can deter poachers and wildlife traffickers who rely on a weak judicial system to operate freely. Public awareness of court proceedings can also shame offenders and discourage similar crimes. • Improved Case Outcomes: Monitoring can highlight issues that might otherwise go unnoticed, such as inadequate evidence presentation or weak sentencing. This information can be used to advocate for stronger law enforcement and prosecution strategies, leading to better outcomes for wildlife. • Empowering Communities: Monitoring can empower communities affected by wildlife crime by keeping them informed about the legal process and its effectiveness. This fosters trust in the justice system and encourages communities to participate in conservation efforts.
Wildlife Database (Legal Alert Center) Imagine a library for wildlife, meticulously storing information on every species – a treasure trove of knowledge for protecting biodiversity. This is exactly what LAPA offers in its database which has data that has been collected over the course of ten (10) years when actively present in Kenyan courts. The database has also been significantly enhanced by incorporating open-source data. This enriched database hopes to be used to identify areas with critical biodiversity or high poaching activity, prioritize conservation interventions, and track the effectiveness of existing programs - ultimately leading to data-driven decision-making and a more impactful approach to wildlife conservation.