Poaching, Wildlife Trafficking and Organised Crime

Illegal wildlife trade or wildlife trafficking is a global threat to all kinds of species, not just charismatic megafauna or wildlife in Africa and Asia. This paper presents the findings of an investigation of the illegal trade in native and non-native wildlife and wildlife products between the European Union and Mexico. Using literature analysis, secondary trade data and expert interviews, this study explores the nature and extent of wildlife trafficking between these two regions, including the involvement of organised crime within an eco-global criminological framework. This is important for the regions studied and for the global community more generally, as wildlife trafficking is contributing not only to species extinction, but also to instability, violence and unhealthy physical environments for humans.

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EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking – Recent Belgian Criminal Cases

Journal for European Environmental & Planning Law ◽

10.1163/18760104-01702004 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 161-188

Author(s):

Farah Bouquelle ◽

Luc Lavrysen

Keyword(s):

Environmental Law ◽

Action Plan ◽

Research Capacity ◽

Organised Crime ◽

Public Prosecutor ◽

Federal State ◽

Wildlife Crime ◽

Final Destination ◽

Wildlife Trafficking ◽

The Eu

The article introduces international, European and Belgian legislation on trade in endangered species of wild animals and plants and discusses the EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking. Notably, this contribution provides empirical insights in the functioning of the Belgian system for enforcement of wildlife trafficking regulations and provides a first set of empirical data on the effectiveness of criminal charges in this field of EU environmental law. To this extent, the four reviewed Belgian judgments are examples of effective criminal sanctioning of wildlife crime. They also show that wildlife crime is hot and organised, and that Belgium is both a final destination market for live birds and reptiles and a transit point for trafficking of ivory and sea horses to other continents, such as Asia. To meet the targets of the EU Action Plan against Wildlife Trafficking, the fight against wildlife trafficking should be stepped up. As regards Belgium, this manuscript highlights that the federal state and the three regions should better coordinate their cites policy and legislation. In view of the increase of cites-cases, the training and capacity of the inspection, customs and police services should be strengthened further. More frequent controls at the airports and ports would increase the chance of being caught. The environmental unit of the federal police should be reinforced. Moreover, a federal cites public prosecutor could be appointed for serious cites cases in which there are links with terrorism, organised crime or when public health is at stake. More research capacity and international cooperation would allow to tackle not only the couriers, but the principals and addressees in the countries of origin and destination. Finally, the assignment of cites cases to specialised sections of the courts would contribute to more efficiency and better continuity in the interpretation and enforcement of cites regulations.

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IV. Poaching, Wildlife Trafficking and Organised Crime

Whitehall Papers ◽

10.1080/02681307.2016.1252127 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 86 (1) ◽

pp. 77-101 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Tim Wittig

Keyword(s):

Organised Crime ◽

Wildlife Trafficking

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12. Green criminology

10.1093/he/9780198835837.003.0012 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 345-373

Author(s):

Angus Nurse

Keyword(s):

Animal Rights ◽

Environmental Issues ◽

Organised Crime ◽

Environmental Crime ◽

Green Criminology ◽

Critical Approach ◽

Wildlife Crime ◽

Theoretical Approaches ◽

Wide Range ◽

Wildlife Trafficking

This chapter studies green criminology, a strand of criminology that looks at crimes against the environment, animals, and non-human nature that are largely ignored by mainstream criminology. Green criminology takes a critical approach, looking beyond narrow, human-centred definitions of crime to consider a wider conception which some see as a form of social harm. Green criminologists examine a wide range of environmental issues, from wildlife crime, wildlife trafficking, animal rights, and species justice to corporate environmental crime and illegal pollution, ecological justice and ecocide, food crime, and the links between organised crime and the waste industry. The chapter looks at how environmental issues are sometimes neglected by markets, the criminological concepts and theoretical approaches associated with green criminology, and the debate about whether we should focus on green crimes or harms. It also considers how environmental harms are regulated and the different ways of responding to and policing green crimes.

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Wildlife trafficking under the lens of international law: a threat to the peace or a serious transnational crime?

Cambridge International Law Journal ◽

10.4337/cilj.2020.02.02 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 137-153

Author(s):

Fulvia Staiano

Keyword(s):

United Nations ◽

International Law ◽

Political Stability ◽

Legal Framework ◽

Organised Crime ◽

United Nations Security Council ◽

Added Value ◽

Wild Fauna ◽

Wildlife Trafficking ◽

The United Nations

On 16 September 2019, the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 73/343 on tackling illicit trafficking in wildlife reiterated the concept whereby wildlife trafficking constitutes a serious threat not only to the world's biodiversity and ecosystems but also to socio-economic and political stability and to the rule of law. Because of the transnational character of the illicit trade in protected species and because this activity is often carried out by organised criminal groups, any strategy of prevention and repression of wildlife trafficking should entail an effective cooperation between States within an international legal framework. Against this background, this article reflects on the ways in which international law has dealt with wildlife trafficking so far, and on the potential of different international law sources to provide States with effective tools to manage the risks posed by this transnational organised crime. To answer these questions, this article focuses on two main fields of enquiry. First, it considers the characterisation of wildlife trafficking as a threat to the peace within the framework of Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations by the United Nations Security Council in Resolutions 2134 (2014) and 2136 (2014), reflecting on the possibility to expand such a qualification outwith the context of specific internal conflicts and the activities of armed groups. Second, the article assesses the effectiveness of such an approach and its eventual added value in the light of the international legal framework already applicable to wildlife trafficking. To do so, it enquires on whether the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, in synergy with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, can provide States Parties with an appropriate and sufficient framework to tackle the global threats posed by wildlife trafficking.

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European illegal puppy trade and organised crime

Trends in Organized Crime ◽

10.1007/s12117-021-09429-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jennifer Maher ◽

Tanya Wyatt

Keyword(s):

Law Enforcement ◽

Online Monitoring ◽

Organised Crime ◽

Animal Abuse ◽

Illicit Markets ◽

Illicit Market ◽

Wildlife Trafficking ◽

Illegal Activities ◽

Organised Crime Groups ◽

The Uk

AbstractOrganised crime groups’ involvement in illicit markets is a common focus of law enforcement and governments. Drug, weapon, human and wildlife trafficking (and others) are all illegal activities with link to organised crime. This paper explores the overlooked illicit market of puppies. We detail the state of knowledge about the organisation of the UK puppy trade, which includes irresponsible and illegal breeding of puppies throughout Europe and their often-illegal movement into the UK. In 2017, we conducted an analysis of hundreds of online advertisements in Scotland, 12 expert interviews, a stakeholder survey of 53 participants, and 40 focus groups across Great Britain. Our data suggest an organised illicit market running in parallel to the legal trade. We speculate as to whether at some point along the supply chain organised crime groups are responsible for the suffering and death of the puppies and the economic and emotional damage to ‘consumers’. Online monitoring and physical scrutiny at the ports must be improved to reduce non-human animal abuse. People buying puppies must also be made aware that their purchase could be profiting organised crime.

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