The global community has gained a better understanding of the scale and nature of environmental crime over the past years. This is evident through the decisions of international bodies such as CITES, ECOSOC, the UN Security Council, UN General Assembly, INTERPOL, and WCO.70 There are several initiatives established to restrict the import of illegal tropical wood. These include certification schemes, such as the FSC, and voluntary trade agreements, including the Unites States of America’s Lacey Act and the European Union’s FLEGT programme. While these are important mechanisms for establishing collaboration and joint interventions to counter import of illegal timber, there is an urgent need to strengthen law enforcement capacity, involving the entire enforcement chain from customs to police up to the justice systems.71 The International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC), which was established in 2010, is such a body. It operates on a global scale, bringing together CITES, INTERPOL, UNODC, The World Bank and WCO.72.

Year: 2015

From collection: State of the Rainforest

Cartographer: GRID-Arendal