Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) is delighted at the news of the proposed amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and urge the ministry to expedite the implementation of the Act to deter smugglers and traders from trafficking.

Despite the enactment of stiffer penalties for offenders the lucrative trade in wildlife is a roaring business and traders, smugglers, poachers, hunter and animal dealers will resort to all means illegal to satisfy the craze for exotic species with the use of sophisticated weaponry.

The amended Act should be strengthened by expanding the list of animals covered including those bred in captivity, reptiles, insects and wild plants.

On the one hand the department is keen in protecting its wildlife yet at the same time it allows issuing of licences to restaurateurs. Greed will cause these restaurateurs to sought for the more exotics to satisfy the tastebuds of their customers.

Uncontrolled hunting and trade form the greatest threats to wildlife and shows that current patterns of hunting and wildlife trade are not sustainable, which is driving our wildlife to extinction.

The success of a haul depends very much on the co-operation from the various quarters such as the police, customs, wildlife personnel and the public. Informers should be rewarded for furnishing information leading to a conviction under the Wildlife Act.

Clearly commercial trade in wildlife must be severely restricted or eliminated across much of the region, through both national policies and international collaborations.

Governments throughout the region must strengthen their capacity to protect wildlife in protected areas and forest reserves, through good law enforcement and education.

It is the public demand that allows the trade to continue to satisfy a section of the public whose mindset is entrenched on the aphrodisiac and myths of exotic species. It is important to cut off the trade from the consumer side.

Education is vital and the department could enlist the help of village headman, community leaders and non-governmental organisations to inculcate an understanding of the threatened species and the need to protect them as part of Malaysia's natural heritage.

If these steps are not taken immediately all that will be left are silent forests, empty of the birds and mammals that are critical to the health of the forest.