USAID VukaNow Quarterly Report: April – June 2021

The activity focuses on two key objectives: catalyzing learning and sharing for improved results to combat wildlife crime, and increasing collaborative action to reduce wildlife crime in targeted Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs). VukaNow's expected results include increased collaborative action between governments, civil society, and communities to reduce wildlife crime in targeted areas, deepened learning and knowledge sharing to improve the efficacy of combatting wildlife crime initiatives, and increased application of effective tools, technologies, or approaches that mitigate wildlife crime. The activity also aims to improve policy frameworks and harmonization that mitigate wildlife crime, and resources leveraged to support reductions in wildlife crime. VukaNow's approach is rooted in a theory of change and a fundamental belief that a collective impact model is essential to addressing complex challenges such as wildlife crime and achieving lasting change. The activity coordinates with SACWC Landscape Partners to catalyze learning and knowledge-sharing and with SADC to implement the SADC Law Enforcement and Anti-Poaching (LEAP) Strategy. VukaNow also implements a grants portfolio to accelerate specific, targeted interventions to combat wildlife crime, including community engagement in these activities. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2021, VukaNow's activities are geared towards scaling-up, sustaining, and institutionalizing investments made since its inception to deepen regional collaboration to combat wildlife crime and ensure sustainability beyond the life of the activity. The activity continued to operate virtually in Quarter 3 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but made substantial progress in achieving the contract goals of advancing collaborative action across the region. VukaNow accelerated the utilization of the Special Platform for Action, Reflection, and Collaboration in Combatting Wildlife Crime (SPARCC) to facilitate learning and knowledge exchange. The activity hosted three successful SPARCC meetings that generated recommendations on financing options to support CWC initiatives, collaboration and partnership models for CWC, as well as key performance indicators (KPIs) that could be used to measure CWC impact at the protected area, TFCA, and regional levels. VukaNow also increased the uptake of the online course on Illegal Wildlife Trafficking and the Judicial System on eVukaLearn by enrolling 32 participants, including magistrates, legal advisors from Malawi, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, as well as members of the South African Judicial Education Institute (SAJEI). The activity made significant progress towards launching the Portuguese version of the course to increase outreach to Lusophone countries in the region and ensure that no one is left behind. In addition, VukaNow sustained efforts towards augmentation of wildlife forensics capabilities in the region through development of an online module on wildlife forensics for prosecutors that will be available on eVukaLearn and production of training videos on wildlife crime scene investigation (WCSI) to support forensics training activities in different countries. The activity also concluded preparations for training on Extradition Procedures and Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) to wildlife departments, prosecutors, and magistrates to be delivered in July 2021.