Nature Crime Reports
Collating research and thought leadership on environmental crime
Environmental crime robs governments and communities of resources and revenues, devastates species and ecosystems, and drives human rights abuses. These illicit activities often converge with other forms of serious organised crime, presenting threats to national security and economic prosperity.
Around the world, actors from different sectors – including members of the Nature Crime Alliance – produce research and analysis aimed at deepening understanding of these crimes. This page aims to bring these public publications together, providing a useful resource for those working on this important issue.
If you would like to have reports added to this resource, please email Luke Foddy, Communications Manager, Nature Crime Alliance, at: luke.foddy@wri.org
The Nature Crime Alliance does not own the rights to these publications, which are publicly available at the below links, and shares them here simply to amplify their reach for interested parties.
2026
Money Talks: Ten Years of Firsthand Corruption Reporting from ELI Investigations | Earth League International
This landmark report exposes the central role of corruption in environmental crime, based on perspectives from within the criminal networks involved. The report synthesizes over a decade of undercover field operations across Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Europe, offering a rare and unprecedented view of how bribery, collusion, and impunity operate in practice, through the words and actions of the traffickers, brokers, and corrupt officials who sustain them. View report
Toxic Transition: How the world’s largest cobalt producer has allegedly poisoned communities for years | EIA, Premi Congo
This report by EIA US and Premi Congo examines cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Based on a three year investigation, it exposes the toxic underbelly of the world’s energy transition and offers pragmatic recommendations to correct its course. View report
Beneath the Surface: The Environmental and Financial Crime Nexus in Illegal Mining | WWF, Themis
Drawing on global survey data and case studies, this report explores how minerals such as gold, cobalt, coltan, and rare earth metals move through opaque, multi-jurisdictional supply chains that are difficult to monitor and vulnerable to criminal exploitation. It assesses risks connected to AML/CTF compliance, ESG and nature-related disclosure, supply chain due diligence, and reputational and regulatory obligations for financial institutions, insurers, and investors. View report
Unseen and Unaccountable: The Growing Threat of China’s Squid Fishing Fleet in the South Pacific | Environmental Justice Foundation
The environmental and human rights impact of China’s distant-water squid fleet in the Southeast Pacific is the focus of this report from the Environmental Justice Foundation. Based on extensive investigations, the report reveals widespread shark finning, marine mammal capture, abusive labour practices, and the unloading of deceased crew into Latin American ports. The report calls for urgent reforms to end IUU fishing and forced labour in this key squid fishery. View report
2025
Guidelines: Enhancing Information-Sharing between Civil Society and Law Enforcement on Environmental Crime | Nature Crime Alliance
The Nature Crime Alliance, with the support of United for Wildlife and members of the INTERPOL Wildlife Crime Working Group, published a set of Guidelines to improve the processes for civil society organisations (CSOs) to share information with law enforcement on environmental crime. View the Guidelines
The Price of Progress: The Dark Side of Amazon Critical Minerals | Amazon Underworld
This report shines light on the impact of the demand for rare earth elements and critical minerals on the Amazon rainforest, where extraction operations are often controlled by armed groups and involve human rights abuses and environmental destruction. View report
Crimes Associated with Critical Minerals in Southeast Asia: Trends, Challenges and Solutions | UNICRI
The UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) published new research on illicit mining activities in Southeast Asia. The report highlights how the growing demand for minerals such as nickel, tin, rare earth elements, and cobalt is creating opportunities for organised crime. View report
People, Planet, Justice: Understanding and Countering Nature Crime | World Resources Institute
This report analyzes five types of nature crime and their frequent convergence with other forms of criminal activity, including financial crimes, corruption, and human rights violations. It recommends strategies and solutions for policymakers, donors, and civil society organizations seeking to eradicate nature crime and its threat to people, planet, and justice. View report
Nature Crimes: The Billion-Dollar Industry Bankrolling Global Criminal Networks | TRAFFIC
Based on research carried out over four years with partners in Brazil, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Cameroon, TRAFFIC published reports on nature crime in each of these countries to further understanding of the overlapping threats and develop strategies to disrupt transnational crime networks and strengthen enforcement. View reports
