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Guidelines on Methods and Procedures for Ivory Sampling and Laboratory Analysis

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Guidelines on Methods and Procedures for Ivory Sampling and Laboratory Analysis Guidelines on Methods and Procedures for Ivory Sampling and Laboratory Analysis PC ICPO OI I NTERPOL INTERNATIONAL CONSORTIUM ON COMBATING WILDLIFE CRIME Laboratory and Scientific Section and Global Programme for Combating Wildlife and Forest Crime, Sustainable Livelihoods Unit UNITED NATIONS OFFICE ON DRUGS AND CRIME Vienna Guidelines on Methods and Procedures for Ivory Sampling and Laboratory Analysis UNITED NATIONS New York, 2014 Note Operating and experimental conditions are reproduced from the original reference materials, including unpublished methods, validated and used as per the list of references. A number of alternative conditions and substitution of named commercial products may provide comparable results in many cases, but any modification has to be validated before it is integrated into laboratory routines. Mention of names of firms and commercial products does not imply the endorsement of the United Nations. ST/NAR/50 © United Nations, November 2014. All rights reserved worldwide. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. This publication has not been formally edited. Publishing production: English, Publishing and Library Section, United Nations Office at Vienna. Acknowledgements These Guidelines were prepared by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Laboratory and Scientific Section (LSS) and the Global Programme for Combating Wildlife and Forest Crime, Sustainable Livelihoods Unit (GPWLFC, SLU). The Guidelines reflect the discussions of, and contributions from, subject-matter experts who participated in an expert group meeting organized by UNODC, under the umbrella of the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) in Vienna, 4-6 December 2013. LSS (headed by Justice Tettey) and the GPWLFC, SLU (headed by Jorge Eduardo Rios) wish to express their appreciation and thanks to the following experts who participated in the expert group meeting and contributed to the development of the Guidelines: Thure Edward Cerling, Professor, University of Utah, United States; Edgard O. Espinoza, Deputy Director, National Fish and Wildlife Forensic Lab, United States; Francis Muriuki Gakuya, Head of Veterinary Services, Kenya Wildlife Service, Kenya; Gila Kahila Bar-Gal, Assistant Professor, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel; Alan John Guthrie, Director, Equine Research Centre, University of Pretoria, South Africa; Susan Hitchin, Head of DNA Unit, INTERPOL General Secretariat, France; Karin Hornig, Head of Division, Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, Germany; Richard M. Jobin, Forensic Unit Manager, Department of Justice and Solicitor General, Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Branch, Government of Alberta, Canada; Adrian M. Thornton Linacre, Chair in Forensic Science, Flinders University of South Australia, Australia; Grant Munro Miller, Senior Officer, Border Force, Home Office, United Kingdom; Rob Ogden, Head ofScience, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, United Kingdom; Kanita Ouitavon, Senior Scientist, Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Thailand; Roderick Brent Potter, Vice-Chair of the Wildlife Crime Working Group, South Africa; Barend Van Rensburg, Chief of Enforcement Support, CITES Secretariat, Switzerland; David Schindel, Executive Secretary, Consortium for the Barcode of Life, Smithsonian Institution, United States; Frankie Thomas Sitam, Research Officer, Department of Wildlife and National Parks, Malaysia; Davyth Stewart, Criminal Intelligence Officer, INTERPOL Environmental Crime Programme, France; Julius Martin Thaler, Counsel, Environ- mental Law Practice Group, World Bank, United States; Mahn Vuong Tien, Scientific and Capacity Building Senior Officer, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Develop- ment, Vietnam; Esteven Toledo, Biologist, Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau, Philippines; Fransesca Didi Wamukoya, Head of Prosecution, Kenya Wildlife Service, Kenya; Bruce Weir, Professor and Chair, Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington, United States; Yan Chun Xu, Professor and Associate Director of State Forestry Administration Detecting Centre of Wildlife, Northeast Forestry University, China; Stefan Ziegler, Researcher, Department of Ecology and Evolution, Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany. iii LSS and the GPWLFC, SLU wish to express their gratitude and special thanks to Samuel K. Wasser, Director, Center for Conservation Biology, University of Wash- ington, United States, for his substantial contribution to the development of the Guidelines. The valuable comments and contribution of the following experts to the peer-review process is also gratefully acknowledged: Jonathan Barzdo, Chief of Governing Bodies and Meeting Services, CITES Secre- tariat, Switzerland; William Clark, Senior Advisor, INTERPOL, Environmental Security Sub-Directorate, France; Richard Emslie, Scientific Officer, IUCN SSC African Rhino Specialist Group; Brian Taylor, International Law Enforcement Con- sultant, former Chief, Anti-Trafficking Section of UNODC; Alfred K. C. Wong, Endangered Species Protection Officer, Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, Hong Kong. The preparation of the Guidelines was coordinated by Iphigenia Naidis, Scientific Affairs Officer, LSS, together with Sarah Koch and Sinéad Brophy of the GPWLFC, SLU. The contributions of Volha Kuzmianok, Ian Munro and other LSS and GPWLFC, SLU staff are appreciated. iv Abbreviations CCPCJ United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora CITES CoP16 Sixteenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Inter- national Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora CITES MA CITES Management Authority CND Commission on Narcotic Drugs DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid EDTA Ehtylenediaminetetraacetic acid ETIS Elephant Trade Information System FTIR Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy GPWLFC Global Programme for Combating Wildlife and Forest Crime ICCWC International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime INTERPOL International Criminal Police Organization IRT Incident response team IRMS Isotope ratio mass spectrometer LSS Laboratory and Scientific Section MEGA Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis MIKE Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants MLA Mutual legal assistance NEST National Environmental Security Taskforce PPE Personal protective equipment PCR Polymerase chain reaction SCAT Smoothed Continuous Assignment Technique software SLU Sustainable Livelihoods Unit WCO World Customs Organization WIST Wildlife incident support team UNODC United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime USDA United States Department of Agriculture SWGWILD Scientific Working Group for Wildlife Forensic Sciences v Contents Page Acknowledgements ................................................. iii Abbreviations ..................................................... v 1. Introduction .............................................. 1 Part I. Crime scene management ................................... 5 2. National capacity ......................................... 5 3. International expert assistance ............................... 7 4. Search guidelines ......................................... 7 5. Discovery of the suspected illegal specimen ................... 8 6. Crime scene recognition .................................... 9 7. Crime scene investigation and physical evidence collection ....... 10 8. Marking of ivory .......................................... 16 9. Discrepancies and missing items ............................. 17 10. Dealing with the media .................................... 17 11. International cooperation ................................... 17 12. Sampling of ivory for forensic analysis ....................... 18 13. Handling and disposal of seized specimens .................... 25 Part II. Laboratory analysis ........................................ 27 14. Considerations for laboratory analysis ........................ 27 Part III. Interpretation of results and use of data ....................... 41 15. Interpretation and communication of scientific results ............ 41 16. Considerations for law enforcement, prosecutors and the judiciary . 44 Part IV. International cooperation ................................... 51 17. Setting the stage for international cooperation .................. 52 18. Databases ................................................ 54 19. Planning framework ....................................... 56 20. Future considerations ...................................... 65 References ........................................................ 67 Annexes 1. Glossary ...................................................... 73 2. Relevant mandates, decisions and resolutions ........................ 79 3. Guidance for the search of containers, freight vehicles and premises .... 89 4. Guidance for the first person on the scene .......................... 105 5. Chain of custody record ......................................... 109 6. Ivory Inventory (sample and template) ............................. 111 7. List of equipment and materials for ivory sampling .................. 115 8. Regulatory requirements for CITES import and export permits ........
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