WJC Report Links Wildlife Trafficking to Organized Crime | 02 Nov 2023

Source: DTE

Why in News?

The Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to combating organized crime, has released a new report titled Convergence of Wildlife Crime with Other Forms of Organised Crime: A 2023 Review.

• It is a follow-up to the first report published in 2021, which mentioned 12 case studies linking wildlife trafficking with human trafficking, fraud, migrant smuggling, illicit drugs, corruption and money laundering.
• The report also reveals the environmental crime of illegal sand mining for the first time.

What are the Key Highlights of the Report?

• Convergence of Wildlife Crime and Organized Crime:
  • The report uncovers strong connections between wildlife trafficking and various forms of organized crime.
    • These connections include protection rackets, extortion, murder, money laundering, illicit drugs, tax evasion, and corruption.
• Illegal Sand Mining:
  • For the first time, the report identifies illegal sand mining as an environmental crime.
    • Sand, a raw material and second-most-used resource in the world is used to make concrete, asphalt and glass.
    • About 40-50 billion tonnes of sand resources are exploited each year, but their extraction is managed and governed poorly in many countries,
  • The Report sheds light on the adverse impacts of unregulated sand extraction, which is a crucial raw material globally.
  • Environmental Impact of Sand Mining:
    • Indiscriminate sand mining leads to erosion, negatively affecting communities and their livelihoods.
    • It has dire consequences for aquifers, storm surge protection, deltas, freshwater and marine fisheries, land use, and biodiversity.
  • Involvement of Violent Sand Mafias:
    • The report emphasizes that illegal sand-mining operations are often organized and operated by violent sand mafias.
    • The report recognizes instances of individuals, including journalists, activists, and government officials, who were killed for opposing illegal sand mining.
    • These incidents were reported not only in India but also in other countries, including Indonesia, Kenya, Gambia, South Africa, and Mexico.
• Case Studies:
  • In addition to the 12 case studies from 2021, the report puts on record three cases from Southeast Asia, Africa and Central America.
    • The first case study illustrated the diversion of commodities such as pangolin scales, illegal sand mining, protection rackets and elephant ivory in Southeast Asia and Africa.
    • The Second case from Africa involved an embedded convergence between corruption, rhino poaching and money laundering.
    • The third study from Central America represented transactional convergence between drug trafficking networks and seafood businesses involving sea cucumber and sharks closely linked to the smuggling of illicit drugs, money laundering, tax evasion and corruption.
• Guiding Law Enforcement and Policymakers:
  • The report highlights the growing seriousness of wildlife trafficking, which has become a highly profitable and serious criminal activity.
    • Crime convergence should be further studied and integrated as part of the approach to tackle wildlife crime and organized crime more broadly.
  • The paper aims to provide typologies and strategies that can inform and support law enforcement and policymakers in their efforts to address transnational organized crime more effectively.

Mains Value Addition

Contributions of Himmata Ram Bhambhu in tackling Wildlife Crime