Wildlife crime pays off big timeThe Institute for Security Studies has ranked wildlife crime the fourth most lucrative form of organised crime globally and one of the most expensive security challenges facing Southern Africa. © ANDREY GUDKOV – 123RF.com It said most of the available data on wildlife crime focused on poaching and smuggling, resulting in an emphasis on securing national parks and patrolling borders. More information was needed on curbing demand and understanding how organised crime networks operated. This led to establishing a pilot project, Enact (Enhancing Africa's capacity to respond to transnational organised crime), in partnership with the Global Initiative Against Organised Crime, and Interpol. Researcher Ciara Aucoin said data were gleaned from media reports. She said the pilot study covered how poachers were recruited and armed, how the smuggling networks operated, the extent of overlap between groups, and the products they worked with. The pilot phase of the study covered 10 countries between 2000 and 2016, focusing on the poaching, smuggling and possession of protected species. Preliminary findings at a glance:
Source: The Times |