Convergent Crimes

Deceptive business practices facilitate the laundering of illegally sourced products—including fish, gold, or wild animal meat—into legitimate supply chains, making wildlife crimes harder to detect.

Organised groups engaged in drug trafficking, extortion, and armed violence that facilitate wildlife crimes while also shifting law enforcement priorities away from wildlife protection.

Prohibited transportation of individuals often overlapping with the transport of illegal wildlife and other natural resource products.

Proliferation of unlawful firearms empowers illegal hunters and fuels violence, creating security threats that overshadow wildlife enforcement efforts.

Smuggling routes for narcotics that frequently coincide with those used for illicit wildlife, complicating detection and prosecution.

Anonymous platforms and e-commerce sites facilitate illegal transactions, masking the origin and nature of contraband goods including wildlife, precious metals, and timber products.

Abuse of power among law enforcement officers undermines public trust and compromises wildlife crime investigations.

Bribery, favouritism, and embezzlement within government agencies enable wildlife crimes to flourish unchecked.

Criminal networks engaged in sexual exploitation that often overlap with wildlife trafficking rings, creating a vicious cycle of power and transgression.

Illegal seizures that directly affect biodiversity—such as the theft of legally harvested timber or legally kept pet animals—thereby disrupting sustainable livelihoods and management.