The World Wildlife Crime Report is UNODC’s flagship publication on patterns and trends in wildlife crime around the world. The first global assessment of the state of wildlife crime was published in 2016, and the second edition of the World Wildlife Crime Report (2020) takes stock of the wildlife crime situation with a focus on illicit trafficking of specific protected species of wild fauna and flora, and provides a broad assessment of the nature and extent of the problem at the global level. It includes a quantitative market assessment and a series of in-depth illicit trade case studies: rosewood, ivory and rhino horn, pangolin scales, live reptiles, big cats and eels. In addition, value chains and illicit financial flows from the trade in ivory and rhino horn is presented.
In order to identify the priority needs of Member States, the Environment Team works with requesting countries to assess their national criminal justice and preventive responses to wildlife and forest crime. This type of technical assistance is provided through the implementation of the Wildlife and Forest Crime Analytic Toolkit (the Toolkit) and the Indicator Framework for Combating Wildlife and Forest Crime (the Indicator Framework) of the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC). UNODC leads on the implementation of the Toolkit and Indicator Framework on behalf of ICCWC and in close coordination with requesting governments and ICCWC partner organizations.
The Toolkit is designed to assist government officials from wildlife and forest management authorities, law enforcement, prosecution and other relevant agencies in analysing their national legislation; enforcement, judiciary and prosecution capacities; international cooperation; drivers and associated prevention strategies; as well as their data collection and analysis capacities.
The Consortium later developed the Indicator Framework, which complements the Toolkit and provides a standardized approach to measure and monitor the effectiveness of national law enforcement responses over time. Designed as a self-assessment tool to be implemented by national authorities, the Indicator Framework comprises 50 performance indicators that cover the main components of a desirable law enforcement and criminal justice response to wildlife and forest crime.
The Toolkit and the Indicator Framework are useful tools for undertaking such national assessments. Countries can use them to identify their strengths, weaknesses, gaps and key areas to prioritize in order to better address these crimes. The results of the analyses then feed into the design and development of work plans for national capacity building and technical assistance, while establishing a baseline against which future progress can be measured.