The key determinants of whether particular species and ecosystems will live or die today are social factors – criminal behavior, political corruption, consumer behavior, land use decisions, cultural norms and practices, individual psychology, conflict, poverty, local livelihood choices, socio-economic inequalities, et al. But despite recognizing that our current biodiversity catastrophe has human, social roots, conservationists and environmentalists have yet to translate such consensus into action to save wildlife and the natural environment on a wide scale.
One of the most serious security threats posed by poaching and wildlife trafficking may also be one of the least well documented: their relationship with organised crime.
To shed light on the subject, this chapter analyses the most common narratives on the link between poaching, wildlife trafficking and organised crime – and the security threat this link poses in African source and transit countries.
The relationship between conflict and terrorism and ivory trafficking is often poorly understood.
This article examines some of the realties underpinning this relationship, and calls for greater cross-sector cooperation in responses to ivory trafficking.
The Basel Institute will be launching an innovative project promoting systematic, intelligence-led action against illegal wildlife trafficking (IWT) networks along the East Africa – Southeast Asia trading chain.
Senior Investigation Specialist Simon Marsh and Team Lead, Intelligence & Counter Wildlife Trafficking Tim Wittig participated along with Lord William Hague in an event organised by RUSI on The Wildlife Trafficking-Security Nexus: Targeting the Organised Crime Threat.
Senior Investigation Specialist Simon Marsh participated in a panel discussion at the Illegal Wildlife Trade conference in London on 11 and 12 October 2018.
Hosted by the UK Government, the conference brought together global leaders to help eradicate illegal wildlife trade and better protect the world’s most iconic species from the threat of extinction.
The panel starts at 17:32.
The Basel Institute is delighted about and welcomes the Wolfsberg Group's endorsement of the United for Wildlife Financial Taskforce Mansion House Declaration. This is a significant step in gaining the active support of the financial sector in combating the multibillion-dollar illegal wildlife trade.
The Basel Institute is the implementing partner of the intelligence-sharing mechanism of the United for Wildlife Financial Taskforce, a groundbreaking initiative of the Royal Foundation.
From 24 to 28 November 2014, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network of South Africa (ARINSA), the Government of Kenya and the International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) conducted a joint Workshop for prosecutors, investigators and other relevant stakeholders on Recovering the Proceeds of Crime from Wildlife and Forest Offences and Money Laundering in Naivasha, Kenya.
From 8 –12 September 2014, the Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network of South Africa (ARINSA), the United Nations Office on Drugs (UNODC) and the International Centre for Asset Recovery (ICAR) conducted a joint workshop for prosecutors and investigators on Recovering the Proceeds from Wildlife and Forest Crimes in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
The workshop programme was designed to strengthen the capacity of prosecutors and investigators in recovering proceeds from wildlife and forest crimes. Some 60 participants from a number of government agencies of Tanzania attended the workshop.
News
Seminar for the judiciary of Tanzania on the recovery of proceeds from wildlife and forest crime
From 21 to 24 April 2015, the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network of South Africa (ARINSA), the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania and the International Center of Asset Recovery (ICAR) co-jointly conducted a four-day seminar for the Tanzanian judiciary on recovering the proceeds from wildlife and forest crime. The seminar was held on Zanzibar island and attended by some 40 Tanzanian judges.