Our next ‘Meet the Nature Crime Alliance’ webinar takes place on Wednesday 29 May, 10am ET / 4pm CET. Eugénie Pimont from IFAW will present findings from their recent report, ‘The Elephant in the Net: Research snapshot of the online ivory trade after the adoption of the new EU rules’. Matt Finer and Nadia Mamani from Amazon Conservation Association will share insights from their work mapping illegal gold mining in Peru. And Steve Kohn, National Whistleblower Center, will share his perspectives on how existing US transnational whistleblower laws are being utilised for effective nature crime enforcement. The webinar is open to all – not just Alliance members. Register here.
Missed our last webinar, featuring Earth League International, Wildlife Justice Commission and Sustainable Fisheries Partnership? Watch it here.
Indigenous Peoples’ working group forms
The Alliance Secretariat, together with Indigenous Peoples’ Rights International (IPRI), convened a session with more than 30 representatives of Indigenous Peoples from Asia, Africa, North America, Latin America and the Arctic on the sidelines of the 23rd meeting of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York. The session explored a range of themes, from securing greater access to legal resources to enhancing information exchanges between communities. The need to create opportunities for dialogues between Indigenous Peoples, law enforcement and other government structures was also raised during the meeting, and the Alliance Secretariat and IPRI are taking this work forward. For more information, contact secretariat@naturecrimealliance.org
NEWS FROM THE ALLIANCE
New reports from UNODC
UNODC has published two pertinent reports this month. The third edition of the World Wildlife Crime Report probes recent trends in the illicit trafficking of protected species of wild fauna and flora and provides a broad assessment of current knowledge about the causes and implications of associated crime at a global level.
Meanwhile, The Global Analysis on Crimes that Affect the Environment – Part 1: The Landscape of Criminalization, offers extremely useful insights on the status of environmental crime legislation across the UN’s 193 member states.
Organisations seek sentencing review for wildlife crimes
The Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC) has teamed up with the International Wildlife Trust to coordinate the submission of a letter to the US Sentencing Commission calling for stronger sentences for perpetrators of international wildlife trafficking. They are inviting interested organisations to sign the letter via this link.
ELI highlights scale of shark fin trafficking and its convergences with other crimes
Last month, Earth League International published ‘Operation STELLA MARIS: Investigating Shark Fin Trafficking Networks in Latin America and East Asia Through the Lens of Environmental Crime Convergence’. The report highlights five case studies covering 10 transnational criminal networks operating from Latin America to Asia, and identifies dozens of smuggling routes that illustrate the convergence of environmental and wildlife crime, specifically shark fin trafficking, with other serious crimes. Read Mongabay’s recent coverage of ELI’s work on this issue here.
Online ivory trade persists despite tougher EU rules, IFAW research shows
Ivory continues to be traded illegally across the European Union despite stricter rules adopted two years ago, according to a report by IFAW. Researchers identified 1,330 ivory and suspected ivory items recorded for sale on online marketplaces across France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Germany in 2023. Read the report.
New analysis from Amazon Conservation Association shines light on illegal gold mining in Peru
The latest report from the Amazon Conservation Association shows that illegal gold mining continues to cause concern in the southern Peruvian Amazon. The MAAP #208 report, published this month, provides a summary of the complex mining situation in the region from January 2021 to March 2024, and outlines the gradual effects of illegal mining on its forests.
Commentary: Igarapé Institute Co-Founder Robert Muggah discusses environmental crime situation in the Amazon
Writing in Mongabay, Robert Muggah argues that interventions to tackle environmental crime in the Amazon remain fragmented, with inconsistent political backing and funding despite governments ramping up action across the region.
If Alliance members have activities or information they’d like featured in this newsletter, please contact Luke Foddy, Communications Manager, at [email protected]
