Forests Double Impact the Nexus Where Wildlife and Forest Crime Overlap
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Forests Double Impact The nexus where wildlife and forest crime overlap January 2021 Forests Above: African forest elephant ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ABOUT EIA EIA UK (Loxodonta cyclotis) populations, CONTENTS 62-63 Upper Street, particularly in parts of West and This report was written and We investigate and campaign against London N1 0NY UK Central Africa, are being poached for Executive summary their highly prized ‘yellow ivory’. 4 edited by the Environmental environmental crime and abuse. T: +44 (0) 20 7354 7960 Investigation Agency (EIA). E: [email protected] Front cover design: ©EIAimage Introduction 6 This document has been produced Our undercover investigations eia-international.org with the financial assistance of expose transnational wildlife crime, Geographical nexus 8 the Foreign, Commonwealth and with a focus on elephants, pangolins EIA US Development Office (FCDO). and tigers, and forest crimes such as PO Box 53343 The contents are the sole illegal logging and deforestation for Illegal wildlife in the timber chain 22 Washington DC 20009 USA responsibility of EIA. cash crops like palm oil. We work to T: +1 202 483 6621 safeguard global marine ecosystems Deforestation and poaching 24 E: [email protected] Design: www.designsolutions.me.uk by addressing the threats posed eia-global.org by plastic pollution, bycatch and Making progress 26 commercial exploitation of whales, dolphins and porpoises. Finally, we Recommendations 28 reduce the impact of climate change by campaigning to eliminate References 30 powerful refrigerant greenhouse Environmental Investigation Agency UK gases, exposing related illicit trade UK Charity Number: 1182208 and improving energy efficiency in Company Number: 07752350 the cooling sector. Registered in England and Wales 2 Environmental Investigation Agency DOUBLE IMPACT 3 Time to act Executive summary Key policy recommendations During 2021, the Convention on Biological Diversity, EIA conducted a review of the information gathered between 2017 the UN Convention on Climate Change, a special EIA believes the UK Government, international session at the UN General Assembly on Corruption organisations and the governments of nexus and 2020 by its Wildlife and Forests teams in Africa and Asia in order hotspot countries should: and a session at the UN Convention Against to examine the relationship between wildlife and forest crime. Transnational Organised Crime all offer the 1. Recognise that a nexus between wildlife and Detailed analysis of this information revealed a relationship opportunity to make progress on wildlife and forest forest crimes exists and to support countries (or ’nexus’) between the two crime types in three key areas: crime through international action. A number of affected in order to address it as it manifests; nexus hotspot countries have also introduced new legislation in response to the coronavirus pandemic 2. Apply the Wildlife and Forest Crime Analytic Geographic nexus for sending illegal wildlife shipments both within and the link to zoonotic diseases – those arising Toolkit produced by the International Africa and from Africa to Asia. Traffickers may from animals – driving potential progress at the Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) to comprehensively assess In Africa and Asia, there is a significant convergence send shipments of illegal wildlife products within national level. weaknesses and put in place action plans between illegal wildlife and illegal timber ’hotspots‘, shipments of legal timber, but they also send which are made public and which are transportation routes, processing hubs and key products within shipments of illegal timber. Asian robustly monitored and reported against; ports. EIA’s analysis further points to a geographic wildlife trafficking networks have set up timber convergence at the local level, with specific towns companies to act as fronts for their wildlife 3. Ensure that where countries can report on and cities acting as hubs for both crime types in trafficking activities in Africa. or be assessed against progress on combating hotspot countries. Transnational organised crime environmental crimes and associated groups use the same networks of corruption from Link between deforestation and the illegal enablers such as corruption and money- source to destination to facilitate the movement of wildlife trade laundering, they do so (such as the Review both illegal wildlife and forest crime products. Mechanisms for UN Convention Against In Africa and Asia, there is a significant correlation Corruption, the UN Convention Against Timber companies and timber as a concealment between deforestation and increased levels of Transnational Organised Crime and the method poaching which, in turn, often leads to higher Financial Action Task Force Mutual levels of illegal wildlife trafficking activity. Road Evaluation process); In Africa and Asia, there is a significant building by timber companies in hotspot illegal convergence between the way illegal wildlife and timber and wildlife trade countries has made 4. Take action to address corruption in ports, in illegal timber is traded and shipped. Traders within wildlife populations in those countries more concert with private sector actors operating Africa and Asia trade in both illegal wildlife and accessible to poachers and is fuelling the illegal Above: 2021 offers the international community many in and through ports. opportunities to act against illegal wildlife and timber illegal timber products. Timber is used by traffickers wildlife trade in these countries. trafficking. 4 Environmental Investigation Agency DOUBLE IMPACT 5 Introduction Following on from the London Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade in 2018, EIA was asked by FGMC to consider if there were opportunities that we had missed in addressing forests that may have relevance to efforts to tackle the illegal wildlife trade Why does the nexus between WFC matter? inferences. Crime hotspots, methodology trends and emerging criminality can all be identified through The international community recognises the comprehensive analysis of intelligence. This significant detrimental impacts of wildlife and analysis identifies criminal networks involved in forest crime (WFC)1 and has made commitments to environmental crime. increase the pressure on criminals engaging in these activities. As EIA noted in our 2017 report The report focuses on key species: elephants, Time for Action2 it is the implementation of these pangolins and rhinos as they represent the majority various resolutions and commitments that has of all seizures by volume4 and form the bulk of been slow. EIA’s efforts. We also reviewed data on tigers, as despite lower volumes seized in trade due to The devastating impact of COVID-19 has again smaller populations, smuggling methods used and shown governments that unsustainable ineffective enforcement in some source, transit and exploitation of the world’s flora and fauna can lead destination countries tigers are prevalent in trade to significant costs, economically and to the detected by EIA investigators and have very security of citizens. Action to address WFC would significant conservation value. help to tackle the degradation of the world’s biodiversity, adding significantly to our overall This report is not a comprehensive assessment wealth and wellbeing3. This is particularly of all available evidence on the relationship important in the context of the 15th meeting of the between wildlife and forest crime. Due to the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on COVID-19 pandemic, we were unable to undertake Biodiversity (CBD CoP15) and the upcoming UN detailed fieldwork to follow up on the desk-based Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC CoP26). WFC research that has led to the findings presented. issues are also pertinent to the UN Convention The analysis is therefore, while being extensive and against Transnational Organised Crime (UNTOC), detailed, limited. alongside the 14th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, as well as the The frequency of references in EIA intelligence CITES Standing Committee meetings expected to reports is referred to in this report as a way of take place in the coming months and the CITES illustrating trends. By using external data sources CoP19 thereafter. and seizure data, we have triangulated these trends to make conclusions. To select a manageable pool of Methodology data, we have analysed EIA reporting from 2017 to the present. The range of countries reviewed is also This report has been informed by internal limited to those in which EIA UK is carrying out ©EIAimage intelligence and analysis of external data sources. work or has done so since 2017. This means that Information is collected by EIA from a variety of other countries which are significant sources or The role of this report Above: Pangolin scales are trafficked from Africa to Asia in large different sources, some of which are sensitive and destinations for illegal timber or illegal wildlife quantities. This trade mirrors closely the trades in other illegally sourced wildlife and timber. sourced from people actively engaged in wildlife products are not included. In concluding that a nexus between wildlife and and/or timber trafficking. EIA uses the UK’s forest crime does exist and drawing some approved intelligence grading system, as set out by Finally, when estimating illicit timber flows, we conclusions as to its extent and character, this design an effective policy response at the national the College of