"There will be some kind of joint announcement by ASEAN countries in mid-October to tell everybody that they have plans to pursue specific actions and commitments on law enforcement, training and scientific research," the group's Angie Woo said.

"The announcement will be very general and it will focus on the recognition that these are regional problems that need regional solutions," Woo, TRAFFIC's coordinator for Southeast Asia, told a news conference.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) meeting of 166 countries in Bangkok aims to update trade rules governing some of the world's most exploited wildlife species.

Asia is an international hotspot for the illegal trade in endangered plants and animals, driven mostly by increasing demand from China which uses animal parts in traditional medicines, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

The WWF says it believes Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand are the major routes used by smugglers to transport exotic species, particularly snakes, fresh water turtles, and wood from the Ramin tree.

Robert Mather, WWF's Thailand representative, said the ASEAN initiative was a promising sign that governments were taking the plight of wildlife seriously.

"National politicians have a lot of other things to think about and it's quite understandable that many of them see the wildlife trade as a minor issue," Mather told Reuters.

But he said illegal trade in wildlife was equally rampant and profitable as the illegal arms or drugs trade and often involves the same crime networks.

"I think there has been a lack of political will in the past. There are signs now that it is starting to develop, especially in Thailand, because clearly no country can solve this problem alone."

Environmentalists have long expressed concern about the loss of natural habitats and the rapidly declining populations of some plant and animal species in Asia, a region which depends heavily on its natural resources.

Woo said the aim of CITES was not to stop trade in wildlife but to ensure the business was sustainable and properly regulated.

"At the rate that animals and plants are being exploited, there simply won't be any ingredients left for traditional medicines, for finding cures for cancer, for supporting the largely agricultural society that many of these countries are all about," she said.