The Nature Crime Alliance, with the support of United for Wildlife and members of the INTERPOL Wildlife Crime Working Group, has published a new set of Guidelines to improve the processes for civil society organisations (CSOs) to share information with law enforcement on environmental crime. 

The Guidelines aim to meet an often-cited and critical challenge: ensuring that high-quality information collected by CSOs is shared effectively with the appropriate law enforcement authorities in a way that is useful for investigations and prosecutions.

The Guidelines have been shaped by feedback from both law enforcement and CSO stakeholders, with aspects aimed at both communities. The Nature Crime Alliance Secretariat conducted interviews with subject matter experts and disseminated surveys to CSOs and law enforcement to identify best practice to help improve the capability of CSOs to successfully support law enforcement investigations on environmental crime.

Structured across nine chapters, the Guidelines cover a range of issues including guidance to help CSOs meet quality standards for information they share, based on the frameworks law enforcement use to assess information; advice for law enforcement on providing useful feedback to CSOs; and steps CSOs can take to mitigate the risk of corruption when engaging with law enforcement.

The Guidelines were unveiled during a side event at the 20th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES COP20) in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Co-organised by the Nature Crime Alliance and partners including INTERPOL, United for Wildlife, the Wildlife Investigators Training Alliance, and the Environmental Investigation Agency, the session featured real-world examples showcasing how collaboration between CSOs and law enforcement supports the identification of criminal trends, traces illicit networks, and contributes to stronger prosecutions.

The IUCN World Conservation Congress convened in October, and saw the adoption of a new Resolution on Crimes that Affect the Environment. The resolution recognises environmental crime as a major threat to biodiversity, climate goals and human rights, and is the outcome of cooperation between a range of partners, including the Government of France, ICEL, and World Resources Institute through the Nature Crime Alliance. The resolution gives IUCN a mandate to address environmental crime in its workplan, and calls on the global conservation community to work together to tackle illicit activities such as illegal logging, mining, fishing, wildlife trafficking, and other forms of environmental crime. Read more about the Resolution here.

Following the adoption of the Resolution, the Nature Crime Alliance and its partners convened a thematic session exploring how action on environmental crime can be incorporated into the work of IUCN members. The session saw interventions from a range of Alliance members including HE Alberto Alejandro Farje Orna, Peru’s Ambassador to the UAE; Dr Susan Lieberman, Vice President, International Policy, Wildlife Conservation Society; and Karen Hulme, Chair of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law (IUCN WCEL) Specialist Group on Peace, Security and Conflict.

The thematic session was one of several developments at the Congress linked to environmental crime. The ‘Abu Dhabi Call to Action‘, issued at the conclusion of the Congress, made reference to crimes that affect the environment and environmental defenders, as highlighted in this helpful summary by the National Whistleblower Center. There were also several events at the Congress that focused on environmental crime featuring Alliance members and other stakeholders.

The Nature Crime Alliance Secretariat participated in the UK Government’s Gold Conference in October, which brought together a range of global stakeholders including law enforcement agencies, the gold industry, financial institutions, and academia to deepen understanding and strengthen collective action against the growing challenge of illicit gold. Lynn Schlingemann, Senior Associate, Financial Crime and Corruption, Nature Crime Alliance, spoke on a panel alongside Alliance member Julia Yansura from FACT Coalition.

The UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) 11th Conference of the States Parties (COSP11) convenes on 15 December in Doha, with a civil society preparatory day on Sunday 14 December. The UNCAC is a powerful yet underused international instrument that can help tackle corruption that is driving environmental crime and the climate crisis.

The Nature Crime Alliance Secretariat participates in the UNCAC Coalition Environmental Crime and Corruption Working Group – chaired the Wildlife Justice Commission – which is highlighting the need for a dedicated COSP11 resolution that will bolster the UNCAC for environmental crime.

There is a need to: 

Implement and apply the UNCAC at the (sub) national level to tackle corruption facilitating crimes affecting the environment (CAE) and collect and scale up good practices to inform effective policy and technical assistance.

Safeguard climate and environmental finance by ensuring transparent, effective use of funds and adopting inclusive approaches that engage civil society and affected communities.

Strengthen enforcement and international cooperation to tackle corruption and money laundering driving CAE, including transnational organised crime.

Adopt a holistic approach by addressing the corruption–CAE–climate nexus through the application of UNCAC in coordination with relevant mechanisms and fora.

Address major corruption risks by strengthening transparency and integrity in public procurement, beneficial ownership disclosure, and political finance, and by tackling the role of enablers.

Protect, defend, and enable safe and meaningful civil society participation, and uphold human rights in efforts to combat corruption and CAE, including when actors are under attack.

A key component of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) research on wildlife trafficking is documenting and sharing the lessons learned from law enforcement, criminal justice authorities, and other relevant parties about the challenges they face when trying to hold wildlife offenders accountable. As part of the research for the next World Wildlife Crime Report, UNODC are seeking perspectives from those with firsthand experience of these challenges. Share insights here

The Wildlife Justice Commission’s (WJC) new documentary ‘Seizure’ premiered on YouTube on 9 December. The award-winning short film provides a rare look into the inner workings of transnational organised crime networks involved in the trafficking of endangered species – one of the largest and most profitable forms of transnational organised crime.

The film follows a major research report from WJC examining whether wildlife trafficking is treated with the seriousness it deserves in national legal systems. The report provides an assessment of how the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) has been incorporated into domestic legislation, and how effectively it is being implemented to tackle wildlife trafficking. Read the report here

Writing in Americas Quarterly, Andrea Crosta, Founder of Earth League International, highlights how illicit mining, logging, wildlife trafficking and other environmental offenses have become vital sources of revenue for some of Latin America’s largest criminal groups. Read the piece here

An article from the Wildlife Investigators Training Alliance (WITA) spotlights the importance of building partnerships across sectors to tackle wildlife crime effectively. The piece focuses on WITA’s participation in the Nature Crime Alliance, and how strong, trust-based partnerships strengthen intelligence-sharing, ensure resources are used effectively, and foster coordinated responses. WITA has trained more than 3,200 law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and judges worldwide. Read more.

An investigation by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) has uncovered extensive human rights abuses aboard squid vessels in the Southwest Atlantic. Interviews with Indonesian and Filipino crew revealed violence, intimidation, excessive working hours and wage deductions, with almost two-thirds of Chinese squid vessels linked to deaths or physical assaults on board. Crew also reported illegal and cruel targeting of vulnerable wildlife, including shark finning and the deliberate killing of marine mammals such as South American fur seals. Read the report

If your organisation is a member of the Nature Crime Alliance and would like to feature news or updates in the next newsletter, please contact Luke Foddy, Communications Manager: luke.foddy@wri.org