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.