Myanmar's military has played a significant and often destructive role in Kachin State's wildlife trafficking ecosystem, both historically and particularly following the 2021 coup. Even before the coup, military authorities frequently undermined conservation efforts by facilitating environmentally destructive activities in supposedly protected areas. In 2006, the military granted permission to Yuzana Company to conduct agribusiness over 800 sq km within the Hukawng Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, and in 2008 it provided exploration rights to a Russian energy company and permitted commercial logging in the same protected area. Following the 2021 coup, the military's influence on wildlife trafficking has intensified as the junta enlists support from local militias to fight against resistance forces. According to local sources, "After the coup, the Rawang militia was present in every town and the military provided guns for them. The hunters used those guns provided by the military." These military-provided weapons have reportedly enhanced hunters' capabilities to target remaining wildlife. Furthermore, local conservation workers suspect that "military-aligned militias and Border Guard Forces are involved in facilitating the trafficking of high-value wildlife products into China." The coup has also undermined what little regulatory oversight existed, as Forest Department workers have either joined the civil disobedience movement or become too afraid to conduct field inspections, creating a regulatory vacuum where wildlife products are now sold openly in markets.