New frontiers in the fight against environmental and nature crime

Environmental exploitation is at the heart of the organised crime ecosystem. Yet the problem has not received sufficient political attention, partly because the scale and harms of the phenomenon are largely ignored or misunderstood. ECO-SOLVE aims to fill some of these gaps, with innovative approaches to developing and delivering data to those who can benefit from it. Join us to find out how.

Environmental crime is a broad category that encompasses illegal activities that damage the environment – ​​through overexploitation of finite natural resources or pollution – all of which often have adverse effects on human health and livelihoods. From illegal trade in protected species, overfishing, illegal logging and mining, to mineral and fuel trade and waste trafficking – many of these crimes occur at the intersection of the legal and the illegal, making detection difficult.

On October 3, 2024, the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime will host an online event exploring the urgent need for innovative approaches and data in the fight against environmental and wildlife crime.

The event will highlight our new approach to monitoring the online illegal wildlife trade (IWT) and explore the links between corruption and environmental crime. We will discuss the essential roles of regulation and law enforcement in these areas and explore what communities need and can provide in the face of this urgent and damaging threat. We will unveil our latest research findings from the programme: the Global Trend Report and Global Monitoring System, under the ECO-SOLVE project funded by the European Union, to set the stage for a new strategic direction in responding to environmental crime.

The webinar, moderated by award-winning multimedia journalist Thin Lei Win, aims to spark a global conversation with key experts on better informed responses to environmental and wildlife crime.

Supported by the European Union through the Global Illicit Flows (GIFP) programme, this initiative represents a significant step forward in global efforts to conserve biodiversity, enforce environmental regulations and protect vulnerable species and ecosystems from transnational organised crime.