OSCAP - Outraged South African Citizens Against Rhino Poaching

SA Rhino News and Articles

SA Rhino News and Articles
31 Jan

THE RISE OF ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME

A GROWING THREAT TO NATURAL RESOURCES,PEACE, DEVELOPMENT AND SECURITY

A UNEP–INTERPOL RAPID RESPONSE ASSESSMENT

Foreword

The world is being dredged of its natural resources, with much of what we rely on for our livelihoods at risk from a new threat: environmental crime. The slaughter of elephants and rhinos has raised awareness of the illegal trade in wildlife. We are facing mass extinctions
and countries are losing iconic wildlife species. However, the scope and spectrum of this illegal trade has widened. Criminals now include in their trafficking portfolios waste, chemicals, ozone depleting substances, illegally caught seafood, timber and other forest products, as well as conflict minerals, including gold and diamonds.

The growth rate of these crimes is astonishing. The report that follows reveals for the first time that this new area of criminality has diversified and skyrocketed to become the world’s fourth largest crime sector in a few decades, growing at 2-3 times the pace of the global economy. INTERPOL and UNEP now estimate that natural resources worth as much as
USD 91 billion to USD 258 billion annually are being stolen by criminals, depriving countries of future revenues and development opportunities.

Read more: environmental_crimes