The Nature Crime Alliance is pleased to welcome the Lilongwe Wildlife Trust as its latest member.

The Trust plays a vital role in disrupting the illegal wildlife and forest trade in Malawi, and delivers internationally renowned wildlife rescue services. It also supports conservation justice, running a court monitoring programme and developing specialist tools for magistrates, judges, prosecutors, and investigators.

By joining the Alliance, the Trust will be supported in developing new cross-sector partnerships with which to address specific challenges in Malawi and beyond. In turn, the Trust brings a wealth of knowledge and experience that will support other Alliance members in their efforts to fight nature crime. The government of Malawi joined the Alliance in February this year.

Jonathan Vaughan MBE, Chief Executive of Lilongwe Wildlife Trust, commented: “There is a need to mobilise multiple sectors around the challenges of nature crime, especially as these crimes often share the same networks and value chains. The Nature Crime Alliance offers the chance to build the collaborative response required, and to raise the profile of these crimes and the challenges they present.”

With Malawi facing a range of environmental and security threats including illegal logging, mining, wildlife trafficking and fisheries crime in Lake Malawi, the Trust will engage with Alliance members to find solutions aimed at ending these activities.

Dr Charles Barber, Director of the Nature Crime Alliance, said: “The strong membership interest we’ve seen since launching the Alliance shows there is a real demand for multi-sector cooperation in fighting nature crime. We’re excited that Lilongwe Wildlife Trust is joining these efforts, and we look forward to working with them and other members to develop and scale solutions that protect Malawi’s natural resources and biodiversity.”

The Nature Crime Alliance Secretariat briefed government officials during the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) Implementation Review Group meeting in Vienna this month. 

Lynn Schlingemann, Senior Associate, Financial Crime and Corruption, Nature Crime Alliance Secretariat, participated in a meeting of the Group of Friends on Crimes that Affect the Environment, chaired by France and Peru.

The session convened experts from civil society to share insights on environmental crime and its convergences with other forms of serious organised crime to better inform government representatives working on the UNCAC and the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC). Schlingemann presented on illegal mining and the financial crimes associated with these activities.

The Wildlife Justice Commission, a founding member of the Nature Crime Alliance, also participated in the session, alongside the UNCAC Coalition and Transparency International.

Participants from the 14 governments represented noted the value of the briefings, highlighting the importance of multi-sector collaboration between governments and civil society – a key tenet of the Nature Crime Alliance.

The Nature Crime Alliance Secretariat supported IUCN’s US Regional Conservation Forum (RCF) in August, facilitating two sessions on nature crime.  

IUCN, a member of the Nature Crime Alliance, convened its US RCF in Arlington, Virginia, with more than 100 participants from across IUCN Member organisations, IUCN Commissions, and other partners. The RCF is held every four years.

The Nature Crime Alliance Secretariat’s Elodie Perrat, Senior Government Engagement Manager, and Frazer McGilvray, Consultant, held two workshops during the Forum to raise awareness of nature crime issues and explore ways for IUCN to approach this challenge ahead of its World Conservation Congress in 2025.

“We had an engaging discussion on elevating the issue of nature crime within IUCN’s agenda for the upcoming years,” Perrat said. “We’re eager to see the impact our collaborative efforts will have on advancing this crucial topic.”

IUCN has catalysed collective change for 75 years – creating a living legacy for the preservation of nature. As it approaches its centenary, the Union has an opportunity to reaffirm its direction and recommit to bring about critical change for nature.

Find out more about IUCN here.

Image: From left to right – Frazer McGilvray and Elodie Perrat, Nature Crime Alliance Secretariat, with Grethel Aguilar, Director General, IUCN; Tracy Farrell, Director, North American Regional Office, IUCN; and Natalie Cox, Program Officer, Commission on Education and Communication, North America Regional Office, IUCN.

Peru is the latest government to join the Nature Crime Alliance in recognition of the need for international, multi-sector collaboration to counter crimes that harm people and planet.

Peru has made significant strides in addressing nature crimes, enabling the implementation of more effective strategies and policies. Yet, as with many countries rich in natural resources, Peru continues to face significant challenges linked to nature crime, with criminal forms of wildlife trade, logging, land conversion, and gold mining remaining a major concern.

By joining the Alliance, Peru stands to benefit from gaining access to the expertise from across this global, multi-sector network, which includes governments, law enforcement, and civil society, international, inter-governmental, and Indigenous Peoples’ organisations. Through the facilitation of the Alliance Secretariat, hosted by World Resources Institute with participation from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Peruvian policymakers will also have the opportunity to engage in solutions-focused working groups and initiatives with Alliance members.

The Alliance currently includes more than 40 members, with the Secretariat managing projects on a range of issues including the use of tools and technology in fighting nature crime; disrupting financial activity and corruption linked to these crimes; and supporting front line defenders, including Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Peru will help enhance the Alliance’s collective efforts by bringing in its national and regional experience in combating these crimes, including strengthening regional cooperation in the Amazon region.

Gustavo Laurie, Ambassador of Peru in Norway, commented: “By joining the Nature Crime Alliance Peru is not only wishing to obtain benefits from its membership but is also committing itself to advance in the fight against all criminal activities negatively impacting nature, including in the Amazon basin. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, primarily through its Embassy in Norway, aims at ensuring a unified and consistent Peruvian contribution to the Alliance by undertaking effective multisectoral coordination and consultation. This endeavor is not exempted of challenges, but we are determined to overcome them.”

The Co-Chairs of the Alliance’s Steering Committee, Hans Brattskar, Special Envoy in the Ministry of Climate and Environment, Norway, and Christine Dawson, Director of the Office of Conservation and Water, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, US Department of State, commented: “The shared global challenges we face from nature crime cannot be addressed by single governments alone. We need a coordinated and collaborative response that draws on expertise and learnings from different sectors and recognises where efforts can be enhanced. The Nature Crime Alliance is creating the framework for this international collaboration, and we are delighted that Peru has joined the initiative. Together, we can end crimes against people and planet.”

The Director of the Nature Crime Alliance Secretariat, Yulia Stange, commented: “Joining the Alliance represents a commitment to tackle a global challenge that affects us all. We are pleased that Peru has joined the initiative in recognition of the value of international and inter-sector collaboration. Several Alliance members have active projects in Peru, and we look forward to deepening our engagement.”

The Nature Crime Alliance includes governments from Africa, Europe, North America and South America. For more information, please contact Luke Foddy at luke.foddy@wri.org

WWF is the latest organisation to join the Nature Crime Alliance – a global, multi-sector network that raises political will, mobilises finanical commitment, and bolsters operational capacity to fight nature crime.

For more than 60 years, WWF has worked to help people and nature thrive. Today, it operates in nearly 100 countries to conserve and restore nature and tackle climate change.

WWF joins the Nature Crime Alliance to further its work on a range of issues that converge with Alliance members, including financial crime related to land conversion and the disruption of illegal wildlife trade.   

Nature crime – criminal forms of logging, mining, fishing, wildlife trade and land conversion – threatens ecosystems, undermines global biodiversity and climate goals, and robs governments and communities of resources and revenue. These activities regularly converge with other forms of serious organised crime, including drugs and arms trafficking, and often give rise to human rights violations.

The Alliance has been formed in response to this critical global issue, and brings together governments, law enforcement, civil society, international organisations and frontline defenders, including Indigenous People and local communities, to build greater collaboration in response to these crimes.

Crawford Allan, Vice President, Nature Crimes and Policy Advocacy, WWF, commented: “WWF has worked for decades to tackle the combined threats of nature crime that devastate our wild places and undercut natural resource equity for vulnerable economies and communities. Joining the Nature Crime Alliance brings WWF’s experience, resources, and reach to bear alongside the governments and partners in the Alliance, as a unified front to counter the criminal operations that drive and profit from environmental degradation.”

Yulia Stange, Director of the Nature Crime Alliance Secretariat, commented: “WWF has a strong record of success in driving initiatives that tackle nature crime and protect biodiversity. Through joining the Alliance, WWF can deepen collaboration with our multi-sector membership and help scale solutions to nature crime into new regions and contexts.”

The Nature Crime Alliance Secretariat is hosted by WRI, with participation from UNDOC.

For more information, please contact Luke Foddy, Communications Manager, at luke.foddy@wri.org

The United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) has joined the Nature Crime Alliance to further its mandate to channel innovative ideas from within and outside the United Nations system.

UNICRI works in specialised niches and selected areas related to crime prevention, criminal justice, security governance, counter-terrorism, and the risks and benefits of technological advances. Headquartered in Italy, the Institute has a strong focus on nature crime, particularly the illegal extraction of minerals – an activity that threatens to grow more frequent amid the global energy transition.

Since 1998, UNICRI has been at the forefront of addressing crimes against nature and the planet by enhancing knowledge, building capacities, and shaping legal reforms, including defining crimes against the environment. The Institute has led numerous international projects to prevent and combat such offenses, with a specific focus on illegal mining and the trafficking of precious metals, as well as mitigating risks associated with the illicit trafficking of e-waste, and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear materials. UNICRI is also addressing the role of climate insecurity in exacerbating local conflicts and violent extremism, aiming to strengthen the resilience of governments and civil society.

These offenses severely degrade air, water, and soil quality, adversely affecting human health, endangering species, triggering disasters, and depriving communities of essential resources, thereby posing significant threats to peace, safety, and development.

Leif Villadsen, Acting Director of UNICRI, emphasized the importance of the partnership with the Nature Crime Alliance, commenting: “We are grateful for this crucial partnership. The intricate relationship between environmental crimes and other criminal activities, such as financial crimes and supply chain violations, requires detailed analysis, enhanced training, and a coordinated international response. Our collaboration with the Alliance is crucial to effectively tackle the challenges of nature crime, develop innovative solutions, raise awareness, and amplify the impact of our joint strategies, particularly in combating illegal mining.”

UNICRI becomes the latest international organisation to join the Alliance, which also includes the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, INTERPOL, and the UN Environment Programme. The Institute has a deep involvement with nature crime issues, running an annual ‘winter school’ on environmental crime.

Yulia Stange, Director of the Nature Crime Alliance Secretariat, commented: “UN bodies represent an essential forum for positive change on nature crime, so we are delighted to welcome UNICRI into the Alliance to strengthen our network’s engagement with UN processes and to develop research-based solutions to key issues.

“The Institute’s increasing research focus on illegal mining offers particular synergies with the Alliance’s activities, and we look forward to making progress on this key challenge together.”

The Nature Crime Alliance is a global, multi-sector network that increases political will, mobilises financial commitment, and bolsters operational capacity to fight nature crime. The Secretariat is hosted by the World Resources Institute, with participation from UNODC.

View all members of the Nature Crime Alliance

The online ivory trade in the EU, illegal gold mining in the Amazon, and the role of US transnational whistleblower laws in fighting environmental crime were all explored during the second edition of the ‘Meet the Nature Crime Alliance’ webinar series.

Eugénie Pimont, Wildlife Cybercrime Officer at IFAW, presented findings from the recent report, ‘The Elephant in the Net: Research snapshot of the online ivory trade after the adoption of the new EU rules’, which highlights how ivory is still being widely sold in several European countries despite tougher rules being introduced across the EU in 2022 aimed at limiting the trade. Eugénie’s presentation (see slides here) was a stark reminder of the challenges posed by online marketplaces in the context of nature crime – something the Alliance is focusing on in its supply chain choke points workstream.

If you’d like to know more about IFAW’s work in this area, you can reach Eugénie at: epimont@ifaw.org

Turning to South America, Matt Finer and Nadia Mamani from Amazon Conservation Association shared insights from their ‘Monitoring the Andean Amazon Project (MAAP), with a focus on illegal gold mining in Peru. Matt, the Director of MAAP, showed that gold mining in the region takes place in several different contexts, while Nadia, Senior GIS and Remote Sensing Specialist, provided insights on how Amazon Conservation is working with local communities to bring their findings to the attention of law enforcement. You can reach Matt and Nadia at: mfiner@amazonconservation.org and nmamani@amazonconservation.org respectively.

The session also heard from Steve Kohn, Founding Partner at KKC and Chair of the National Whistleblower Center, who shared his perspectives on how existing US transnational whistleblower laws can be used for effective nature crime enforcement. Steve stressed the value of these laws in prosecuting and deterring perpetrators of nature crime, but noted that this value is widely unknown among many stakeholders. This includes the potential funding available for CSOs through successful prosecutions and sanction revenue. See Steve’s slides here. Contact Steve at: stephen.kohn@kkc.com.

The ‘Meet the Nature Crime Alliance’ webinar series aims to showcase Alliance members in short, concise sessions that can spark future engagement. This session, which took place on 29 May, also featured an update from the Alliance Director, Yulia Stange.

If your organisation is an Alliance member and you would like to take part in future webinars, please contact luke.foddy@wri.org

Watch the first edition of the webinar series, featuring Earth League International, Wildlife Justice Commission and Sustainable Fisheries Partnership, here.  

The second edition of the ‘Meet the Nature Crime Alliance’ webinar takes place on Wednesday 29 May at 10am ET / 4pm CET.

Eugénie Pimont from the International Fund for Animal Welfare will present findings from the recent report, ‘The Elephant in the Net: Research snapshot of the online ivory trade after the adoption of the new EU rules’.

Matt Finer and Nadia Mamani from Amazon Conservation Association will share insights from their work mapping illegal gold mining in Peru.

And Steve Kohn, National Whistleblower Center, will share his perspectives on how existing US transnational whistleblower reward laws are being utilised for effective nature crime enforcement.

We hope you can join us.

Register here

A key aim of the Nature Crime Alliance is to bolster capacity for frontline defenders, including Indigenous Peoples and local communities, who often have limited access to costly legal representation. To help develop solutions to this challenge, the Alliance has welcomed the International Lawyers Project (ILP), as its latest member.

Based in London but supporting communities around the world, ILP advances economic and environmental justice and the rule of law through the provision of pro bono legal expertise to civil society, communities, and governments. Its vision is a sustainable world in which law serves as a tool for those who need it the most.

As part of its membership in the Alliance, ILP will draw on its extensive expertise utilising different legal tools and remedies to tackle environmental crimes, for example, advising on the use of sanctions for wildlife trafficking organised crime groups or conducting legal reviews of regulatory frameworks to ensure prevention and detection of environmental crimes. The Alliance platform will also help serve as a ‘dot connector’ between ILP’s pro bono services and those who need them.

Lucy Claridge, ILP’s Executive Director, said “We are acutely aware of the increasing convergence of corruption and environmental degradation. Corrupt actors exploit ineffective fiscal policies and weak environmental laws, providing fertile ground for illicit activities to flourish, resulting in environmental harm that disproportionately affects the poorest and most vulnerable communities, particularly in the Global South. Legal tools and remedies are increasingly effective in holding responsible parties accountable for environmental crimes and empowering communities to seek better governance of natural resources”.

In addition to ILP’s contribution to solutions developed by the Alliance, the organisation will also form part of a legal resources database being developed by the Alliance Secretariat. This resource will help civil society, Indigenous Peoples and local communities find legal expertise relevant to their needs.

Yulia Stange, Director of the Nature Crime Alliance Secretariat, said: “Ensuring that frontline defenders and other organisations fighting nature crime have access to justice and legal support is a key tenet of the Nature Crime Alliance. We’re extremely excited by the potential opportunities arising for people, planet and justice through ILP’s membership.”

View all members of the Nature Crime Alliance

Strategies for disrupting financial crime related to forestry crime were explored during a session hosted by the Nature Crime Alliance at the Forest Governance and Policy Conference 2024 (FGP24).

The Alliance Secretariat brought together thought leaders from government, law enforcement, civil society and the private sector for the session, which convened during FGP24 in Washington DC, hosted by WRI.

Moderated by Lynn Schlingemann, Senior Associate, Financial Crime and Corruption, Nature Crime Alliance Secretariat, the audience heard from Rowena Watson, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of Sanctions Coordination, US Department of State, who shared insights on the role of sanctions in tackling forestry crimes. This included a case study from the Central African Republic involving Wagner Group activity related to illegal timber.

Paul Hackett, AML Advisor, UNODC, presented on his work supporting law enforcement efforts in Peru, while Nick Schumann from HSBC spoke on the value of public-private partnerships in identifying and disrupting financial crime related to nature crime.

Julia Yansura, Program Director for Environmental Crime and Illicit Finance at the FACT Coalition, shared some takeaways from FACT’s recent report, Dirty Money and the Destruction of the Amazon, highlighting how proceeds of criminal activities in the Amazon are entering the US financial system. And legislation was also a focus, with Scott Greytak, Director of Advocacy, Transparency International US, sharing his thoughts on the Foreign Extortion Prevention Act and its implications for forestry crime.

Watch the session in full