A new WWF, GuArdean and TRAFFIC report finds inconsistent prosecutions, limited penalties and weak focus on trafficking masterminds despite legal protections for tigers across Southeast Asia.

A new report has identified major gaps in the criminal justice response to tiger trafficking across Southeast Asia, warning that arrests and seizures are failing to translate consistently into strong prosecutions and meaningful sentences.

The joint study by WWF, GuArdean Centre for Conservation Research and TRAFFIC examines how criminal justice systems respond to tiger-related offences across seven tiger range countries—Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam.

Titled From Seizure to Sentence: An Analysis of Tiger Crime Prosecutions in Southeast Asia, the report analyses tiger-related arrests, prosecutions and sentencing outcomes between 2019 and 2024. It also provides a more detailed examination of court records from Indonesia covering 2015 to 2025, the only country included in the study with publicly accessible records of convicted tiger crime cases.

The findings show a significant gap between the existence of laws protecting tigers and their implementation through the criminal justice system.

Although all seven countries have legal provisions to protect tigers and prohibit activities such as poaching and trafficking, the outcomes of cases vary widely. In many instances, arrests do not result in prosecution, while sentences that are imposed may be suspended or relatively low.

According to the report, only about 42 per cent of publicly available cases resulted in penalties such as imprisonment or fines. Around 14 per cent ended in suspended sentences. Limited access to court records across much of the region also makes it difficult to determine how consistently offenders are being prosecuted and punished.

The report argues that this lack of transparency creates another obstacle to understanding whether existing laws are effectively deterring wildlife crime.

The problem is particularly significant because tiger trafficking is not limited to isolated incidents of poaching. Illegal trade can involve complex networks connecting hunters, transporters, traders, middlemen and higher-level organisers who profit from the movement of tiger parts.

Yet the analysis of accessible court records found that prosecutions largely targeted low- and mid-level offenders, including poachers and transporters. Higher-level organisers and financiers were rarely pursued through the criminal justice process.

The report therefore calls for greater use of laws addressing organised crime, financial crime and corruption. Such legal tools could allow authorities to move beyond individual seizures and arrests and target the networks and financial structures that make wildlife trafficking profitable.

The study also identifies several factors that could strengthen prosecutions. These include better coordination between law enforcement agencies, improved judicial capacity and greater use of forensic, digital and financial evidence.

Forensic evidence, in particular, can help establish links between seized wildlife products, suspects and trafficking operations. Digital evidence and financial investigations can similarly help investigators trace communications, transactions and relationships within trafficking networks.

The report recommends improving access to court records so that governments, conservation organisations and researchers can better assess prosecution and sentencing trends. More transparent judicial processes could also help identify weaknesses in enforcement and allow successful approaches to be replicated across countries.

The findings come at a critical time for wild tigers in Southeast Asia. Tiger populations in several countries have reached critically low levels, while Cambodia, Lao PDR and Viet Nam have lost their wild tiger populations in recent decades.

With populations already severely depleted, continued trafficking can place additional pressure on remaining wild tigers and undermine decades of conservation investment.

WWF and TRAFFIC emphasise the need for a comprehensive response that covers the entire criminal justice chain, from the initial seizure of illegal wildlife to investigation, prosecution and sentencing. The objective is not simply to increase the number of arrests, but to raise the risks and costs faced by those involved in trafficking.

The report also points to examples within Southeast Asia where effective prosecutions and meaningful penalties demonstrate that stronger outcomes are possible. Sharing these experiences could help countries strengthen their own judicial responses and improve regional cooperation.

In addition to conventional criminal penalties, From Seizure to Sentence recommends that authorities consider approaches such as restorative justice and compensation for environmental harm, where appropriate. These mechanisms could complement criminal sanctions by encouraging accountability and addressing some of the wider damage caused by wildlife crime.

The report represents a joint effort by WWF, GuArdean and TRAFFIC to examine tiger trafficking through a criminal justice lens rather than focusing solely on seizures and enforcement operations.

GuArdean Centre for Conservation Research conducts transdisciplinary research into illegal and unsustainable activities affecting the environment and works with academic institutions, governments, conservation organisations and practitioners.

WWF is a global conservation organisation working to protect biodiversity, promote sustainable use of natural resources and reduce threats to the natural environment, including illegal wildlife trade.

TRAFFIC specialises in monitoring and addressing the illegal and unsustainable trade in wild animals and plants, linking wildlife trade interventions with biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.

Together, the report’s findings highlight a central challenge for tiger conservation: protecting the species requires more than strong legislation and successful seizures. Unless criminal justice systems consistently investigate, prosecute and penalise those responsible—particularly the organisers and financiers behind trafficking networks—illegal tiger trade can remain a relatively low-risk and profitable crime.