Ideas from the speakers:
Environmental crime, including illegal logging and trafficking of endangered species, is one of the largest global criminal enterprises. And yet, despite the significant threat it poses to climate action, nature goals, and national security, discussions around environmental crime remain peripheral and efforts to target its illicit financial dealings are underprioritised in comparison to similarly sized and equally threatening criminal economies. As a progression of discussions held at last year’s Villars Summit, this session discussed not just “diagnosis” but “strategy”. The session reflected on the achievements and next steps for political leadership, the environmental crime narrative, business engagement and new strategic directions, such as technology, financial incentives and metrics.
Firstly, the experts reflected on progress in political and private-sector engagement. Governments should behave as role models, demonstrating to their public and to the private sector how their rules should be interpreted and implemented. Since last year, newly-formed commissions have started evaluating and updating the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime’s (UNTOC’s) stance on environmental crime, marking a milestone achievement. Many new political and private-sector alliances and coalitions have also been formed, including at the inaugural biodiversity summit in Africa, with the aims of improving communication and data sharing to more effectively close markets against illegal environmental products.
However, this momentum must be maintained through collaboration, both within and between governments and businesses. We must promote multi-sectoral collaboration, including ministries of finance and law enforcement. To get these key actors to the table, we must emphasise the links between environmental crime and human and drug trafficking, money laundering and violent crime - in considering environmental crime in isolation, we underestimate its ramifications and unwittingly exclude vital collaborators, undermining solutions. Secondly, we must continue thoughtful international collaboration and further discussions must address the responsibilities of product-export and product-import countries. Finally, we must continue to nurture collaboration between government and the private sector, building strong businesses that can make change under supportive regulation.
Finally, the speakers addressed new strategic directions, including new technologies and narrative change. Governments, NGOs and businesses are beginning to use AI to monitor, detect and report illegal wildlife trafficking and deforestation. Responsibly managed AI is a powerful weapon in the arms race of environmental crime. In allowing the conservation space to become an active regulator of environmental crime, new technologies can empower and protect communities - for example, using genetic scanners to identify and block the transport of endangered goods. Narrative change is also an important strategic direction, with which we can reduce the demand for and economic reliance on illegal products, as well as increasing the demand for sustainable and legal alternatives.
The key message of the session was one of collaboration. To maintain and accelerate progress, we must pursue partnerships, seek understanding and listen to a diverse range of perspectives, both within governments and businesses and between them. If we can reduce competition and promote cooperation, we have a chance to effectively fight environmental crime.
Insights from the Audience:
Firstly, the audience discussion expanded on the point that environmental crime does not exist in, nor can it be combatted in, isolation: it is both a symptom and an extension of a larger criminal issue. For example, illegal wildlife trade is a known driver of international crime networks, whether as the primary exploit of a network, an expansion thereof, or a “resilience” method of financing other crimes. A well-balanced multi-sectoral approach, including intelligence agencies, law enforcement, and protectors of national security (while taking care to uphold the democratic institutions that are necessary for human wellbeing), is therefore vital to tackling environmental crime.
Secondly, the audience discussed how we can reduce the demand for illegal environmental products and identified the private sector as a key stakeholder. Businesses are not used to being asked to take responsibility for wildlife and the environment, but they must be incentivised to collaborate with governments to identify illegal activity that threatens both their business and the environment. Enhancing government-business collaboration would allow for more effective reporting and management of illicit wildlife trade and increased attractiveness of legal alternatives, thereby decreasing demand for illegal products.
Finally, the audience grappled with the question of “ecocide”, defined as the destruction of the natural environment by deliberate or negligent human action. There is hope to eventually be able to prosecute those responsible for the degradation and exploitation of nature on the grounds of ecocide, but deliberations on this agenda are still ongoing and highly controversial. Legislation on ecocide may yet provide an additional path to justice for environmental crimes. However, as such a broadly defined crime, many governments and businesses worry it may be used to vilify their endeavours based on their carbon emissions or environmental impacts. Regardless of the terminology used, we must ensure that those affected by environmental crime are not intimidated from bringing criminal activity to justice.
