Crimes that Affect the Environment take on many forms; just two of these are forest crimes and minerals crime, which in themselves have many forms. Forest crime includes but is not limited to illegal harvesting of non-timber forest products, arson, illegal deforestation and illegal logging. Minerals crime is equally varied ranging from illegal mining to soil pollution. Each of these forms of CAE are perpetrated by a diverse of array of actors that are different depending on the geography and the environmentally sensitive commodity that is being, in these instances, extracted. In these first studies, the aim is to provide the state of knowledge of the nature and scope of the CAE, and what is known about the actors, the modus operandi, the supply chains and their vulnerabilities, and the existing and potential responses.
Forest crime infiltrates legal processes and supply chains, making it tough to police - see what this and other SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST are in the Forest Crime study. It encompasses all types of serious offences along supply chains, from high-level corruption in land use decision making, to illegal deforestation and illegal timber trade, as well as cross-cutting issues like corruption and money laundering.
Part 2a – Forest Crime of the Global Analysis on Crimes that Affect the Environment focuses particularly on illegal deforestation and illegal logging. Both legal and illegal deforestation and forest degradation are driven by agriculture, other kinds of land use change, (il)legal mining, infrastructure, and, of course, the demand for timber. This study is an overview of how criminal actors are structured documenting involvement of organized criminal groups (traditional organized crime groups, politically motivated crime groups, criminal networks) compromised corporations (ranging from unintentional to intentional perpetration), corrupt officials, and individuals. Sections of the study summarize the evidence of how illegal deforestation and illegal logging are committed, including the role of fraud and corruption. The study also includes examination of the supply chain - harvesting, processing, transport, trade, and sales - to highlight where it is vulnerable to criminal activity. Policy implications are given as to further steps that could be taken to prevent and disrupt these particular forms of forest crimes.
