Can social norm and behaviour change approaches help to reduce corruption related to illegal wildlife trade (IWT)?

Very possibly. SNBC initiatives have been shown to help combat diverse corruption problems, although for those related to IWT and other areas of conservation and natural resource management, the evidence for doing so is sparse.

In February 2020, Uganda made a high-level political commitment to work with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and Eastern and Southern Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG) to strengthen the effectiveness of its anti-money laundering (AML) regime. Among other commitments, Uganda undertook to demonstrate that law enforcement agencies and judicial authorities apply the money laundering offence consistent with the identified risks. 

This Problem Analysis is a review of the efficacy and opportunities for using social norm and behaviour change (SNBC) approaches to combat illegal wildlife trade (IWT) and other natural resource-related corruption.

We are grateful to the Principality of Liechtenstein for its decision to continue and substantially increase its core contribution to our Green Corruption programme.

The programme has gained significant momentum in 2021, responding to a clear need to address the “green corruption” that makes environmental crimes both possible and lucrative.

Broadly, “internal controls” refers to systems of policies, procedures and practices to prevent, detect and respond to issues, errors and irregularities. 

Systems of internal control can be very effective in addressing corrupt conduct, which is the focus of this quick guide. But internal controls can also address other problems that affect an organisation’s efficiency and effectiveness, such as poor employee performance or the failure to accomplish important organisational goals.