Featured Publication, June 2019

GLOBAL WILDLIFE ENFORCEMENT: STRENGTHENING LAW ENFORCEMENT AGAINST WILDLIFE CRIME, INTERPOL (2018)

Environmental Crime

Environmental crime is a transnational organized crime which has diversified to become one of the world’s largest crime sectors. As with all forms of crime, collaboration is the backbone to fighting this multifaceted, global threat.

The black market for illegal wildlife products is worth up to USD 20 billion per year.  Poaching and the illegal wildlife trade, therefore, continue to grow and push many species to the brink of extinction. Transnational organized criminal groups exploit wildlife across the globe.  They threaten protected wildlife species and this affects vulnerable communities and undermines national economies and jeopardizing food security. These criminals act along the entire supply chain, exploiting institutional and legislative weaknesses. Corruption, fraud, legal loopholes, weak controls, porous borders and inefficient customs procedures undermine the rule of law and good governance.

Organised Crime

Perpetrators of wildlife crime often do so in connection with other crimes such as tax evasion, fraud, money laundering and firearms trafficking.  They use document fraud, in particular, to illegally obtain international permits regulated by international conventions. In addition, wildlife trafficking networks – across land, sea and air – are smuggle other illicit commodities, such as drugs and weapons. These links to other crime types further damage the environment.  They also negatively impact on social and economic stability, increasing the urgent need for law enforcement action.

INTERPOL Environmental Security Programme (ENS) is working to prevent and deter environmental crimes through enhanced law enforcement cooperation. Its mission is to assist member countries enforce national and international laws and treaties effectively, and help law enforcement implement national, regional and global environmental policy.

This report aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the work INTERPOL has done against global wildlife crime, including operational, tactical and analytical activities undertaken in cooperation with our 194 member countries and strategic partners.

You can read the full report here.