The role of local communities in combating illegal wildlife trade is being increasingly recognised as central to effective anti-poaching strategies. While this is enshrined in a number of recent global policy statements and commitments, little guidance is available on how to effectively engage communities in practice. “Local Communities: First Line of Defense against Illegal Wildlife Trade (FloD)” aims to help address this gap. Developed by IIED, IUCN,IUCN CEESP/SSC Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Specialist Group, and the IUCN/SSC African Elephant Specialist Group, the initiative is a multi-stakeholder action research approach designed for use by an independent team of local stakeholders and project designers or implementers working with communities. Since the launch of the first edition of the guidance in 2018, several pilots have been conducted and the guidance further developed and focussed. In 2021, BIOPAMA, with the Southern African Wildlife College, supported a revision of the guidance and the development a Training Manual for the use of FLoD. These resources are open access and available for anyone to use.

• Local Communities: First Line of Defence (FLoD) against Illegal Wildlife Trade – An Implementation Guide

• Local Communities: First Line of Defence (FLoD) against Illegal Wildlife Trade Training – Facilitation Guide

• FLoD Tool – Full Set (as ZIP folder)