About Lesson
At the end of Chapter1 – Wildlife Trafficking you will be able to:
- define environmental crime
- list some of the conventions and agencies in place to enforce the prevention of wildlife trafficking
- identify vulnerable jurisdictions and conditions that enable the illegal trade of wildlife
- recognise the role of financial institutions in combating wildlife trafficking
While no universal definition of environemntal crime exists, iti s generally understood to encompass:*
“illegal activities harming the environment and aimed at benefitting individuals or groups of companies from the exploitation of, damage to, trade or theft of natural resources, icnldueing serious crimes and transational organized crime.
The illegal trade in wildlife is one of six broad categories of environmental crime. Environmental crime occurs at regional, national and international levels, and generates significant profits*:
environmental crime is the fourth largest crime in the world after drug trafficking, counterfeit crimes and human trafficking;
the value of environmental crime is now estimated to be USD91-258 billion (2016) per year;
the value of environmental crime is rising by 5-7% annually, which is two to three times faster than the growth rate for the global economy;
the illegal wildlife trade is estimated by some to be USD 7-23 billion per year.
